Undergraduate Course: Political Cultures and Cultural Politics in Contemporary Japan (ASST08077)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will help you understand the fascinating, complicated and sometimes violent relationship between culture and politics in contemporary Japan. Through a combination of seminars and tutorials, you will develop a theoretical understanding of culture and politics in contemporary Japanese society. Weekly topics on aspects of contemporary life in Japan will develop your understanding of how culture and politics have informed one another, as well as how culture and politics have shaped the understanding of, for example, the family, working life, leisure, death, and religion. Through engagement with a diverse range of readings, cultural materials, and in-class discussions, students will develop their own understanding of Japanese society and its place in the world. |
| Course description |
Japan is often presented as an example of successful modernization - the nation that got modernity, technology, culture and politics right. Japan is harmonious. Japan is both traditional and modern. Japan is orderly, safe, secure. And Japan is really, really pretty.
But is it?
All of these statements hold a kernel of truth (Japan is really pretty) but they also obscure just as much, if not more, than they inform. Was Japan always harmonious, and is it today? No. Are people happy with the relationship between technological advances and traditional ways of life? Not always. And is Japan as orderly, safe and secure as is often claimed? Again, the jury is out.
This class explores the questions that arise from the gap between representation and reality: why do we see Japan the way we do? How have different groups attempted to shape Japanese society, both within and outside the realm of formal politics? How has the idea of Japan been produced and consumed both internationally and domestically?
Our approach to these questions is via the interaction of culture and politics in Japan. After developing a theoretical toolkit for unpacking the relationship between these two core concepts we will explore case studies including topics such as the law in everyday life, gender and the family, art and political activism, religion and death, animation and nationalism, big business and the bureaucracy, and ethnic diversity and political representation.
Each week you will attend a seminar and participate in a tutorial focused on questions you have decided to ask. By the end of the course you will be well equipped to dispel Japan's enduring myths, and to apply your new understanding of culture and politics in different national and international contexts.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 20 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 30,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
166 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
1x 1000-word essay exploring the application of one of the theories discussed in class to the Japanese context. (30%)«br /»
1x 2000-word final essay in response to a set essay question. (70%) |
| Feedback |
Verbal feedback provided as part of class discussions, and written responses to essay assignments.
Teaching staff will also hold office hours, enabling students to seek additional personal feedback on any issues that arise throughout the semester. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Articulate a theoretically informed understanding of the relationship between culture and politics.
- Apply frameworks from cultural studies or political science to explain issues in contemporary Japanese society.
- Explain the production, circulation, and consumption of national ideologies.
- Analyse primary and secondary sources to construct a persuasive written argument.
- Communicate complex ideas in clear, simple language.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Critical thinking, analysis of core concepts, application of theoretical approaches to Japanese society, understanding intellectual, aesthetic, and political cultures in Japan, using evidence to develop responses to questions, oral and written communication skills, preparation for independent research. |
| Keywords | Japan,Asian Studies,East Asia,institutions,politics,cultural theory,society,activism,law |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Christopher Perkins
Tel: (0131 6)50 4174
Email: Chris.Perkins@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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