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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures : Asian Studies

Postgraduate Course: Key Topics in Japanese Society and Culture (ASST11077)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Literatures, Languages and Cultures CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course will familiarise students with key concepts and topics in Japanese society and culture and function as a systematic introduction to the more specialized option courses. These take up one session or part of a session and develop the subject in greater depth.

After a brief introduction into the general subject of the programme that situates the current state of Japanese society, its culture and the study thereof in a global context, the course moves on to key developments that constituted the Japanese nation and the state as a historical background for the study of its society and culture. The second part of the course is devoted to key concepts and issues in Japanese society, whereas the third part introduces key areas or topical highlights of Japanese culture.
Course description 1 Introduction: Japanese society and culture in a globalizing world: convergence and resistance (Zachmann)
2 Constituting Japan I: A Chinese model and the Bakufu alternative (Astley)
3 Constituting Japan II: Ancient past, democratic future (Astley)
4 The concept of freedom and individuality in Japanese state and society (Zachmann)
5 Education, subjectivity and resistance in contemporary Japanese society (Perkins)
6 Traditional performing arts, contemporary culture and the international scene (Parker)
7 Revisiting classical Japan through new media (Matsumoto-Sturt)
8 Terror, theatre and setting society to rights: a case study of Iwasaki Masahiro's A Country Far From Here (Parker)
9 Media mix as a convergence of Japanese popular culture (Matsumoto-Sturt)
10 Japan's pop culture and globalisation (Perkins)
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2014/15, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1, Formative Assessment Hours 5, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 176 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) One 4000 word essay (100%)

Formative Assessment:
Choose one session from the first section of the course and produce a critical summary (max 1000 words) of the content. Summaries should include:

o Introduction to the topic and key points
o Areas of contention and issues you wish to clarify
o Any other reflections on the subject
o Possible research questions

Summaries are due in Friday Week 6 and should be handed into the LLC postgraduate office. You will receive verbal and written feedback on your summary in time for your summative assessment.
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Students who have completed this course successfully will have:
    - Acquired an overview of the key areas and concepts of Japanese society and culture;
    - Developed an understanding of the historical background of social and cultural phenomena:
    - Gained insight into the conditionality and mutual impact of social and cultural phenomena:
    - Understood the global context of Japanese social and cultural phenomena and the impact of Japanese culture production globally
  2. Students who have completed this course successfully will be able to:
    - Discuss key areas and concepts of Japanese society and culture with competence and analytical skill
    - Critically assess sources and documents related to Japanese social and cultural phenomena.
    - Present detailed, supported arguments both in oral and written form
    - Quickly locate, utilise and critique relevant literature
    - Use knowledge acquired from the course to appraise news media and popular discourses on Japanese society and culture
Reading List
Sugimoto, Y., 2010, An introduction to Japanese Society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hendry, J., 2003, Understanding Japanese Society. 3rd ed., London: Routledge.
Sugimoto, Y., ed., 2009, The Cambridge Companion to Modern Japanese Culture. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press.
Martinez, D. P., ed., 1998, The Worlds of Japanese Popular Culture: Gender, Shifting Boundaries and Global Cultures. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Totman, C., 2005, A History of Japan. 2nd ed., Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publ.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsKTJSC
Contacts
Course organiserDr Christopher Perkins
Tel: (0131 6)50 4174
Email: Chris.Perkins@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Sophie Bryan
Tel: (0131 6)50 3030
Email: Sophie.Bryan@ed.ac.uk
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