GISDepartment of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies

In this class, we will explore how various media intersect with the idea of the nation in Japan. This will include engaging with the intersection of different media during the formation of the modern Japanese nation-state in the late 1800s. From this point of departure, we will move forward through Japanese history, exploring different media and how they operated in Japanese society at different times. We will examine print culture, from newspapers and wood-block prints, to comics and magazines, as well as moving-image media such as animation and live-action TV and film. Exploring their history, we will analyze some of their shifts over time, and how they reflect changes in their relationship to images of the nation in Japan. This includes how subcultural “otaku” media became official symbols of Japanese national culture, both locally and globally. After addressing this topic in detail, we will then return to more mainstream media, such as films and TV dramas and their relationship to shifts in Japanese society.

In addition to teaching the students about modern Japanese history, society, and media, this class aims to develop critical thinking and analytical skills. Throughout the semester students will: 1) learn methodologies to examine various media and their connection to Japanese society; 2) examine the specific dynamics of each media and their connection with the nation of Japan on a local and global scale; 3) develop how to analytically engage with the history of Japan and these media through the methodologies learned in class.

Will be able to gain “DP 1”, “DP 2”, “DP 3”, and “DP 4”.

英語 / English

Classes will be lecture-based, with visual material such as clips of films and animation. Students will be asked to have group discussions on certain themes. Each week students will be provided with an academic reading relevant to the topic. These readings will be important background information and/or will be directly addressed as the topic of the lecture and discussion. Lectures will explain in detail and through examples the topic for that class. Discussions based on the lecture will be facilitated by questions from the instructor to help the students explore and develop their critical and analytical skills for that topic. Students will be assessed on their understanding of the lectures and readings through their presentations and papers. Students will receive feedback in class and in written form, based on a grading rubric. 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

授業形態/methods of teaching：対面/face to face

※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[オンライン/online]：Introduction

Nations and media

2[対面/face to face]：Imagined Communities

Newspapers and the early nation-state

3[対面/face to face]：Making National Arts

Theater and hanga's transformations in Meiji Japan

4[対面/face to face]：Wartime Media

Animation and film during the Taisho and Showa periods

5[対面/face to face]：Post-war Shifts

Shifting gender dynamics in popular genres from the 1960s and 1970s

6[対面/face to face]：From Niche to Mass

Anime and manga's rise to national fame from 1980s to early 200s

7[対面/face to face]：Media Stereotypes

Creating an image of otaku in the 1980s to early 2000s

8[対面/face to face]：Otaku in Transition

Shifting images of otaku in film in the 2000s

9[対面/face to face]：Otaku Consumption/Production

Conceptualizing different types of consumption patterns of otaku

10[対面/face to face]：National Visibility of Fujoshi

Rise of female otaku consumers in early 2000s

11[対面/face to face]：Post-Bubble TV

Celebrity and lifestyle in TV dramas in 1990s and 2000s

12[対面/face to face]：Making Japan's Food

Contemporary "food focused TV" in imagining the nation

13[対面/face to face]：Student Presentations

Feedback and Discussion

14[対面/face to face]：Student Presentations

Feedback and Discussion

Students should complete the assigned readings before each class and study the notes they take in class. Preparatory study and review time for this class are 2 hours each.

No textbook will be required as readings will be provided by the instructor.

Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. Verso Ed., 1985.

Participation 20%
Presentation 40%
Final paper 40%

Not applicable.

None.