printer friendly pageJAPAN 123: Critical Translation Studies (COMPLIT 228, JAPAN 223)
Seminal works of translation theory and scholarship from a wide array of disciplinary, regional, linguistic, and historical perspectives. Readings are in English, but students must have at least two years of training or the equivalent in another language, or permission from the instructor. (Important note: Students who wish to count this course toward requirements in the department of East Asian Languages and Cultures must have permission from their EALC advisor.)
Last offered: Autumn 2019
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
JAPAN 125: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and beyond: place in modern Japan (JAPAN 225)
From the culturally distinct urban centers of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka to the sharp contrasts between the southernmost and northernmost parts of Japan, modern Japanese literature and film present rich characterizations of place that have shaped Japanese identities at the national, regional, and local levels. This course focuses attention on how these settings operate in key works of literature and film, with an eye toward developing students' understanding of diversity within modern Japan. FOR UNDERGRADS: This course must be taken for a minimum of 3 units and a letter grade to be eligible for Ways credit
Last offered: Spring 2020
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-EDP
JAPAN 138: Introduction to Modern Japanese Literature and Culture (JAPAN 238)
This class introduces key literary texts from Japan¿s modern era (1868-present), locating these works in the larger political, social, and cultural trends of the period. nThe goal of the class is to use literary texts as a point of entry to understand the grand narrative of Japan's journey from its tentative re-entry into the international community in the 1850s, through the cataclysm of the Pacific War, the remarkable prosperity of the bubble years in the 1980s until most recent, post-3/11 catastrophe-evoked Zeitgeist.nnWe will examine a variety of primary texts by such authors as Futabatei Shimei, Higuchi Ichiy¿, Natsume S¿seki, Tanizaki Jun¿ichir¿, Miyamoto Yuriko, Kawabata Yasunari, ¿e Kenzabur¿, Yoshimoto Banana, Tawada Y¿ko, and Yu Miri among others. Each text will be discussed in detail paying attention to its specific character and contextualized within larger political trends (e.g., the modernization program of the Meiji regime, the policies of Japan's wartime government, and postwar Japanese responses to the cold war), social developments (e.g., changing notions of social class, the women's rights movement, the social effects of the postwar economic expansion, ecocriticism), and cultural movements (e.g., literary reform movement of the 1890s, modernism of the 1920s and 30s, postmodernism of the 1980s, and exophony). Students will also be encouraged to think about the ways these texts relate to each other and a variety of issues beyond the Japanese socio-cultural and historical context. nnNo prior knowledge of Japanese is required for this course, although students with sufficient proficiency are welcome to refer to original sources.nPrerequisites: None
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-GlobalCom, WAY-A-II
Instructors:
Galvane, L. (PI)
;
Reichert, J. (SI)
JAPAN 151B: The Nature of Knowledge: Science and Literature in East Asia (CHINA 151B, CHINA 251B, JAPAN 251B, KOREA 151, KOREA 251)
"The Nature of Knowledge" explores the intersections of science and humanities East Asia. It covers a broad geographic area (China, Japan, and Korea) along a long temporal space (14th century - present) to investigate how historical notions about the natural world, the human body, and social order defied, informed, and constructed our current categories of science and humanities. The course will make use of medical, geographic, and cosmological treatises from premodern East Asia, portrayals and uses of science in modern literature, film, and media, as well as theoretical and historical essays on the relationships between literature, science, and society.nnAs part of its exploration of science and the humanities in conjunction, the course addresses how understandings of nature are mediated through techniques of narrative, rhetoric, visualization, and demonstration. In the meantime, it also examines how the emergence of modern disciplinary "science" influenced the development of literary language, tropes, and techniques of subject development. This class will expose the ways that science has been mobilized for various ideological projects and to serve different interests, and will produce insights into contemporary debates about the sciences and humanities.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4-5
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-SI
| Repeatable
2 times
(up to 10 units total)
Instructors:
Zur, D. (PI)
JAPAN 163A: Beauty and Renunciation in Japan (HUMCORE 123)
Is it okay to feel pleasure? Should humans choose beauty or renunciation? This is the main controversy of medieval Japan. This course introduces students to the famous literary works that created a world of taste, subtlety, and sensuality. We also read essays that warn against the risks of leading a life of gratification, both in this life and in the afterlife. And we discover together the ways in which these two positions can be not that far from each other. Does love always lead to heartbreak? Is the appreciation of nature compatible with the truths of Buddhism? Is it good to have a family? What kind of house should we build for ourselves? Can fictional stories make us better persons? Each week, during the first class meeting, we will focus on these issues in Japan. During the second class meeting, we will participate in a collaborative conversation with the other students and faculty in Humanities Core classes, about other regions and issues. This course is taught in English.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
Instructors:
Stilerman, A. (PI)
JAPAN 164: Introduction to Premodern Japanese (JAPAN 264)
Readings from Heian, Kamakura, Muromachi, and early Edo periods with focus on grammar and reading comprehension. Prerequisite:
JAPANLNG 129B or 103, or equivalent.
Last offered: Autumn 2019
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
JAPAN 170: The Tale of Genji and Its Historical Reception (JAPAN 270)
Approaches to the tale including 12th-century allegorical and modern feminist readings. Influence upon other works including poetry, Noh plays, short stories, modern novels, and comic book ( manga) retellings. Prerequisite for graduate students:
JAPANLNG 129B or 103, or equivalent.nnThis course must be taken for a minimum of 3 units and a letter grade to be eligible for Ways credit.
Last offered: Autumn 2017
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
JAPAN 188: The Japanese Tea Ceremony: The History, Aesthetics, and Politics Behind a National Pastime (ARTHIST 287A, JAPAN 288)
The Japanese tea ceremony, the ultimate premodern multimedia phenomenon, integrates architecture, garden design, ceramics, painting, calligraphy, and other treasured objects into a choreographed ritual wherein host, objects, and guests perform designated roles on a tiny stage sometimes only six feet square.. In addition to its much-touted aesthetic and philosophical aspects, the practice of tea includes inevitable political and rhetorical dimensions. This course traces the evolution of tea practice from its inception within the milieu of courtier diversions, Zen monasteries, and warrior villas, through its various permutations into the 20th century, where it was manipulated by the emerging industrialist class for different-but ultimately similar-ends.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 5
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-SI
JEWISHST 4: What Didn't Make It into the Bible (CLASSICS 9N, RELIGST 4)
Over two billion people alive today consider the Bible to be sacred scripture. But how did the books that made it into the bible get there in the first place? Who decided what was to be part of the bible and what wasn't? How would history look differently if a given book didn't make the final cut and another one did? Hundreds of ancient Jewish and Christian texts are not included in the Bible. "What Didn't Make It in the Bible" focuses on these excluded writings. We will explore the Dead Sea Scrolls, Gnostic gospels, hear of a five-year-old Jesus throwing temper tantrums while killing (and later resurrecting) his classmates, peruse ancient romance novels, explore the adventures of fallen angels who sired giants (and taught humans about cosmetics), tour heaven and hell, encounter the garden of Eden story told from the perspective of the snake, and learn how the world will end. The course assumes no prior knowledge of Judaism, Christianity, the bible, or ancient history. It is designed for students who are part of faith traditions that consider the bible to be sacred, as well as those who are not. The only prerequisite is an interest in exploring books, groups, and ideas that eventually lost the battles of history and to keep asking the question "why." In critically examining these ancient narratives and the communities that wrote them, you will investigate how religions canonize a scriptural tradition, better appreciate the diversity of early Judaism and Christianity, understand the historical context of these religions, and explore the politics behind what did and did not make it into the bible.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-SI
JEWISHST 37Q: Zionism and the Novel (COMPLIT 37Q)
At the end of the nineteenth century, Zionism emerged as a political movement to establish a national homeland for the Jews, eventually leading to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. This seminar uses novels to explore the changes in Zionism, the roots of the conflict in the Middle East, and the potentials for the future. We will take a close look at novels by Israelis, both Jewish and Arab, in order to understand multiple perspectives, and we will also consider works by authors from the North America and from Europe. NOTE: To satisfy a WAYS requirement, this course must be taken for at least 3 units. In AY 2020-21, a 'CR' grade will satisfy the WAYS requirement.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-EDP, Writing 2
Instructors:
Berman, R. (PI)
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