IGESS (Institute for Global Economics and Social Sciences)

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LIT300ZA(文学 / Literature 300)
Modern Japanese Fiction in Translation

Gregory KHEZRNEJAT

Class code etc
Faculty/Graduate school IGESS (Institute for Global Economics and Social Sciences)
Attached documents
Year 2024
Class code A6537
Previous Class code
Previous Class title
Term 春学期授業/Spring
Day/Period 月1/Mon.1
Class Type
Campus 市ヶ谷 / Ichigaya
Classroom name 市外濠‐S603
Grade 3~4
Credit(s) 2
Notes
Open Program
Open Program (Notes)
Global Open Program
Interdepartmental class taking system for Academic Achievers
Interdepartmental class taking system for Academic Achievers (Notes)
Class taught by instructors with practical experience
SDGs CP
Urban Design CP
Diversity CP
Learning for the Future CP
Carbon Neutral CP
Chiyoda Campus Consortium
Category General Education Courses/総合教育科目
Global Open Program/グローバルオープン科目
Faculty Sponsored Department GIS

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Outline and objectives

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.

Goal

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

Default language used in class

英語 / English

Method(s)(学期の途中で変更になる場合には、別途提示します。 /If the Method(s) is changed, we will announce the details of any changes. )

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 reaction papers, and students will receive personal feedback on written assignments.

Active learning in class (Group discussion, Debate.etc.)

あり / Yes

Fieldwork in class

なし / No

Schedule

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

Introduction and selection exam

2[対面/face to face]:Transnational Literature and the Modern Canon

Considering the place of the stories in this class in “Japanese literature”

3[対面/face to face]:Culture Shock and Interpretation

Tawada, Where Europe Begins

4[対面/face to face]:Exophony and Border Crossing

Tawada, Where Europe Begins

5[対面/face to face]:Language, Literature, and Imagined Communities

Mizumura, A True Novel

6[対面/face to face]:Language and the Construction of Identity

Mizumura, The Fall of Language in the Age of English

7[対面/face to face]:Review and Midterm Examination

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

8[対面/face to face]:Language and Belonging

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

9[対面/face to face]:The Right to Language

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

10[対面/face to face]:Transnationalism and Ideology

Zoppetti, Ichigensan

11[対面/face to face]:Writing within the Canon

Zoppetti, Ichigensan

12[対面/face to face]:Modern Trends I

Yang, Wan-chan

13[対面/face to face]:Modern Trends II

Li, Solo Dance

14[対面/face to face]:Final Synthesis

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

Work to be done outside of class (preparation, etc.)

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.

Textbooks

Readings will be distributed through Hoppii.

References

Li, Kotomi. Solo Dance. World Editions, 2022.
Levy, Ian Hideo. A Room Where The Star-Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard: A Novel in Three Parts. Columbia University Press, 2011.
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.

Grading criteria

Class contribution (20%), response papers and written assignments (20%), quizzes (20%), midterm paper (20%), final paper (20%)

Changes following student comments

None.

Prerequisite

None.