Course listings | Case Western Reserve University

Term: Spring 2020

JAPN 101: Elementary Japanese I (101/3408)

MWF 02:15-03:05 PM Jan 13-Apr 27

Fitzgerald, M

Introduction to understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Japanese. Students learn to read and write hiragana and katakana syllabaries and 50 kanji characters. Students are expected to achieve control of the sound system and basic structure of the language. Emphasizes aural comprehension and speaking.

JAPN 101: Elementary Japanese I (111/3409)

Fitzgerald, M

JAPN 102: Elementary Japanese II (100/1167)

MWF 02:15-03:05 PM Jan 13-Apr 27

Carter, B

Continuation of JAPN 101. Emphasizes aural comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Students learn approximately 100 new kanji characters. Recommended preparation: JAPN 101.

JAPN 102: Elementary Japanese II (101/1168)

MWF 10:35-11:25 AM Jan 13-Apr 27

Onitsuka, Y

Continuation of JAPN 101. Emphasizes aural comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Students learn approximately 100 new kanji characters. Recommended preparation: JAPN 101.

JAPN 102: Elementary Japanese II (110/1731)

Carter, B

Tuesday lab will not have a specific time to meet. All students will work with their instructor to determine what needs to be done.

JAPN 102: Elementary Japanese II (111/1732)

Onitsuka, Y

Tuesday lab will not have a specific time to meet. All students will work with their instructor to determine what needs to be done.

JAPN 102: Elementary Japanese II (103/3670)

MWF 11:40-12:30 PM Jan 13-Apr 27

Fitzgerald, M

Continuation of JAPN 101. Emphasizes aural comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Students learn approximately 100 new kanji characters. Recommended preparation: JAPN 101.

JAPN 102: Elementary Japanese II (113/3671)

Fitzgerald, M

Continuation of JAPN 101. Emphasizes aural comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Students learn approximately 100 new kanji characters. Recommended preparation: JAPN 101.

JAPN 201: Intermediate Japanese I (100/3083)

MWF 11:40-12:30 PM Jan 13-Apr 27

Kishi, Y

Further study of fundamental structures of Japanese. Students improve aural comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing abilities and learn approximately 100 new characters. Recommended preparation: JAPN 102 or equivalent.

JAPN 201: Intermediate Japanese I (110/3084)

Kishi, Y

JAPN 202: Intermediate Japanese II (100/1169)

MWF 02:15-03:05 PM Jan 13-Apr 27

Onitsuka, Y

Continuation of JAPN 201. Students learn an additional 100 kanji characters. With the completion of JAPN 201 - 202, students should have control of the fundamentals of modern Japanese and a firm foundation in the writing system. Recommended preparation: JAPN 201 or equivalent.

JAPN 202: Intermediate Japanese II (101/1170)

MWF 11:40-12:30 PM Jan 13-Apr 27

Onitsuka, Y

JAPN 202: Intermediate Japanese II (110/1733)

Onitsuka, Y

Tuesday lab will not have a specific time to meet. All students will work with their instructor to determine what needs to be done.

JAPN 202: Intermediate Japanese II (111/1734)

Onitsuka, Y

Tuesday lab will not have a specific time to meet. All students will work with their instructor to determine what needs to be done.

JAPN 215: The World of Manga (100/11549)

MW 03:20-04:35 PM Jan 13-Apr 27

Onitsuka, Y

Manga (comic books and graphic novels) is one of the most important aspects of contemporary visual culture in Japan. It is consumed by millions of Japanese every day, and has attracted intense attention around the world. As it constitutes one third of the annual publications in Japan today, its breadth and scope are limitless. What does manga reveal about contemporary cultural production and consumption in Japan? What kind of special features are used in manga to attract people so much? What kind of genres do they have and what kind of readers do they have? These are some of the questions we will explore by surveying a large number of works produced in the last fifty years. Introducing graphic novels by major artists and writers, the course will expand your understanding of key components, social movements and discourses associated with manga. You will examine the history of manga, its aesthetics, and social impact through assigned readings, including scholarly papers and manga books, as well as works selected by each student (in original Japanese or in English translation).

JAPN 225: Japanese Popular Culture (100/1171)

MW 03:20-04:35 PM Jan 13-Apr 27

Fitzgerald, M

This course highlights salient aspects of modern Japanese popular culture as expressed in animation, comics and literature. The works examined include films by Hayao Miyazaki, writings by Kenji Miyazawa, Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto, among others. The course introduces students to essential aspects of modern Japanese popular culture and sensibility. Offered as JAPN 225 and WLIT 225.

JAPN 235: The Japan Experience: Kyoto - Language, Culture & Exchanges (100/3777)

Kishi, Y

The Japan Experience: Kyoto is designed to provide students an opportunity to use Japanese language skills they have acquired in real life situations and deepen their understanding of Japanese language and culture through experiential learning. The course has three major learning components: "Japanese Language Learning through Activities and Cultural Experiences," "Japan Exploration Project," and "Exchanges with Local College Students" and will consist of class meetings before the trip focused on preparation followed by 15 days in Kyoto. Japanese Language Learning through Activities and Cultural Experiences: In Kyoto students will explore the local neighborhood and report their findings in class. Several cultural activities will be organized: Zen meditation, tea activity, Japanese cooking class, etc. The tea activity will include a rare opportunity for students to meet a tea ceremony master and experience the way of Japanese traditional tea. Exchanges with Local College Students: Students from CWRU will be able to take advantage of Ritsumeikan University's "Buddies" program where Japanese student volunteers are paired with participants to improve conversational skills and become better acquainted with the campus and Kyoto. CWRU students will also visit classes at a local college in Osaka for exchanges with students there. These exchanges will allow participants to reinforce their language skills, develop better communication skills, and deepen cultural understanding in both classroom and real-life settings. Japan Exploration Project: Students will complete individual projects during the course. They will design their own projects using resources available in Kyoto before the trip and prepare for it. Project themes will be chosen by students based on their interests. At the end of course, students will give presentations in Japanese, demonstrating their language proficiency development.

JAPN 265: Constructing the Samurai: Images of Japanese Warriors from 1100's to the Present (100/10879)

MW 12:45-02:00 PM Jan 13-Apr 27

Carter, B

From concepts of premodern warriors calling out their names before doing hand-to-hand combat to modern salary men crushing the world with their economic prowess, samurai have come to be an iconic image of the Japanese people. Throughout the semester we will pay particular attention to the central themes in the historiography of warrior society, roughly, the years between ca. 1110 and 1850 C.E. We will investigate how these documents were translated by modern societies, both east and west, in samurai film. Students will explore the category of "samurai" through reading selections from The Tale of the Heike, as well as selected Noh plays, legal documents, travel diaries, autobiographies, short stories, and historical texts. In addition, we will investigate other genres contributing to the construction of the idea of "samurai," such as film. This seminar will closely examine the concept of "samurai," particularly its connection to the Japanese identity using an interdisciplinary context of the arts, history, religion, and literature. We will also explore the ways in which daimyo (feudal lords), authors, Buddhist officials, and filmmakers throughout the world created, shaped, and altered the ideal image of the samurai. Key to understanding the concept of samurai will be wrestling with questions of authorship, spirit pacification, nationality, and patronage, with specific focus on the Japanese relationship with Western nations and cultures. We will focus on language and its role in legitimizing the global concepts of "samurai" and "bushido." This class will provide additional insight geared toward the cultural study of linguistic identities beyond those informed by the English language and will include terms expressed in Japanese. Many of the resources used in this course will be translated from the Japanese, allowing us to consider Naoki Sakai's theories of enunciation/ translation/ subjectivity, Haruo Shirane's theory of reception, and Michael Emmerich's theory of replacement. Especially important will be to focus on terms in Japanese with no, or poor, English equivalent (such as samurai, shogun, daimyo, bushido, etc.) but with clear images in the English-speaking imagination(s). The instructor will provide background information on political, cultural, and religious history. Class sessions will be conducted in English and combine lectures, discussion, audio-visual materials, and creative as well as analytical writing exercises. All readings and films will be in English or with English subtitle. Offered as JAPN 265 and WLIT 265.

JAPN 302: Advanced Japanese II (101/1685)

TR 04:00-05:15 PM Jan 13-Apr 27

Hagiwara, T

Continuation of JAPN 301; emphasizes conversational proficiency and reading. Recommended preparation: JAPN 301 or equivalent.

JAPN 302: Advanced Japanese II (111/1716)

Hagiwara, T

Thursday lab will not have a specific time to meet. All students will work with their instructor to detemine what needs to be done.

JAPN 351: Contemporary Japanese Texts II (100/1172)

MW 04:50-06:05 PM Jan 13-Apr 27

Kishi, Y

NO NOTES

JAPN 355: Modern Japanese Novels and the West (100/3819)

TR 02:30-03:45 PM Jan 13-Apr 27

Hagiwara, T

This course will compare modern Japanese and Western novellas, drama, and novels. Comparisons will focus on the themes of family, gender and alienation, which subsume a number of interrelated sub-themes such as marriage, home, human sexuality, amae (dependence), innocence, experience, death, God/gods, and nature (the ecosystem). Offered as JAPN 355 and WLIT 355.

JAPN 396: Senior Capstone - Japanese (110/1937)

Hagiwara, T

INSTRUCTOR APPROVAL NEEDED

JAPN 397: Senior Thesis I (100/2200)

Hagiwara, T

Intensive study of a literary, linguistic, or cultural topic with a faculty member, leading to the writing of a research paper in English or Japanese. Limited to senior majors. Permit required.

JAPN 398: Senior Thesis II (100/1173)

Hagiwara, T

Continuation of JAPN 397. Limited to senior majors.

JAPN 399: Independent Study (100/1793)

Hagiwara, T

Directed study for students who have progressed beyond available course offerings.