IGESSIGESS (Institute for Global Economics and Social Sciences)

How do we process the experience of encountering a new language and culture? How does that process in turn affect our own personal language and identity? In this course, we will read translations of personal essays and fiction written in the Japanese language by contemporary authors undergoing such experiences, including Japanese authors living abroad and non-Japanese authors writing in their adopted language. As we compare their stories and observations, we will also consider how the act of writing provides each author with a space to form and perform new cultural identities and personal idioms.

Students will practice reading and writing critically as they explore dynamics of culture, language, and identity in modern Japanese literature.

英語 / English

Classes will be divided roughly evenly between lectures and guided discussions. Short quizzes will be given to assess comprehension of weekly readings. Students will submit midterm and final papers. In-class feedback will be given for daily reaction papers, and students will receive personal feedback on written assignments. Please note that the teaching approach may vary according to which threat level we are at: at level 1, 70% of this course will be held on campus, though at level 2, 50% will be held on campus.

あり / Yes

なし / No

※各回の授業形態は予定です。教員の指示に従ってください。

1：Introduction

Introduction of course content and selection exam

2：Transnational Literature

Concepts of transnational literature

3：Creating the Modern Japanese Canon

Mack, Manufacturing Modern Japanese Literature

4：Culture Shock and Interpretation

Tawada, Where Europe Begins

5：Exophony and Border Crossing

Tawada, Where Europe Begins

6：Language, Literature, and Imagined Communities

Mizumura, A True Novel

7：Language and the Construction of Identity

Mizumura, The Fall of Language in the Age of English

8：Review and Midterm Examination

A review of topics covered in the first half of the course

9：Language and Belonging

Levy, A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard

10：Identity as Costume

Levy, A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard

11：The Right to Language

Levy, A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard

12：Transnationalism and Borrowed Ideology

Zoppetti, Ichigensan

13：Writing Within the Canon

Zoppetti, Ichigensan

14：Final Synthesis

Review major themes of the course and discuss new frontiers in transnational Japanese literature

Students are expected to perform close readings of weekly reading assignments and prepare to actively engage in class discussions. Preparatory study and review time for this class are 2 hours each.

Levy, Ian Hideo. A Room Where The Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard: A Novel in Three Parts. Columbia University Press, 2011.
Additional readings will be distributed through the H'etudes system.

Mack, Edward. Manufacturing Modern Japanese Literature: Publishing, Prizes, and the Ascription of Literary Value. Duke University Press, 2010.
Mizumura, Minae. A True Novel. Other Press, 2014.
Mizumura, Minae. The Fall of Language in the Age of English. Columbia University Press, 2015.
Tawada, Yoko. Where Europe Begins. New Directions, 2007.
Zoppetti, David. Ichigensan: The Newcomer. Ozaru Books, 2011.

Class contribution (30%), quizzes (20%), in-class midterm paper (25%), final paper (25%)

None.

None.