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course schedule. Course Schedule Detailed Below
Objectives :: Assignments
:: Grading :: Technology :: Text and Materials
Course
Objectives
This course has
been radically re-designed from previous years. My goal in doing
this is to ask you, the student, to consider critically not only
Japanese culture, but your own culture. To assist in
this goal, we will be reading John Clammer’s book Japan and its
Others whose goal is, among others, to expose the reader to set
of Japanese perspectives and assumptions that directly challenge the
notion of “universal” development, modernity, historical pathways,
and so on. Thus, it is imperative that the Clammer book be read
carefully; luckily, he is rather redundant throughout the various
chapters. To assist yourself in meeting this goal of this course, I
need you to be thinking constantly about the assumptions and
perspectives that underlie many cultural behaviours that humans
typically take for granted (regardless of from whence you come) and
are the foundations of our daily lives. Please try to get
accustomed to asking yourself “why” or “what motivates” my (and
others’) behaviour; please look for underlying meanings and answers
to these questions.
A secondary goal of
this course is to introduce you to Japan, Japanese culture, society,
behaviour, and people. This will be done through ethnographies as well
as sociological/anthropological texts. It will be helpful to read
Clammer’s book while simultaneously reading the various narratives and
voices of real Japanese people in the ethnographies assigned for this
course.
This course requires
participation in the form of in-class discussion. I expect you to do
the reading carefully and critically; to come prepared for class having
completed the assigned readings and read to engage in thoughtful (and
fun) discussions. I do not expect you to have previous knowledge of
Japan; however, I expect you to draw reasonable and intelligent
conclusions (even if they may be wrong) based on your readings, in-class
discussions, lectures, and videos.
Required Texts
An Introduction
to Japanese Society. 2nd
Edition. By SUGIMOTO, Yoshio. JS
No One Home:
Brazilian Selves Remade in Japan.
By LINGER, Daniel NOH
Gambling with
Virtue. ROSENBERGER, Nancy. GWV
Japan’s
Minorities: The Illusion of Homogeneity.
Edited by WEINER, Michael. JM
Japan and Its
Others. CLAMMER, John
JIO
Farewell to
Nippon. SATO, Machiko.
FTN
Assignments
Warnings:
This course expects and assumes that each
student comes prepared to class having thoughtfully read the day’s
assigned reading. Each student should be prepared to discuss the
readings; and, when films are shown, to make connections between readings
and films.
Participation
Attendance is
mandatory. It is important that you come to class (on time), having
already completed the day’s readings, and prepared to participate in
discussion. Ten percent (10%) of your grade will be attendance (5%) and
participation in in-class discussions (5%). Another ten percent (10%)
will come from your participation in online discussion via WebCT. You
are required to submit six (6) online discussion questions which
explicitly engage with the reading material; and, you are
required to respond intelligently and seriously to four (4)
discussion questions. Discussion questions which count toward your
grade (submitted online) should not be information seeking questions;
rather, a discussion question will engage with the texts and ask an
open-ended, thoughtful question. Questions of clarification of the
readings will not be counted; neither will yes/no questions. You
may not submit all six questions at the same time; each of the
six discussion questions should engage with a different day’s reading
assignments. However, since the WebCT is there for our class use, I
hope that you also use this online venue to help yourself better
understand the readings (via asking other students for help), finding
study-buddies, and so on.
In the spirit of
redundancy and clarification, I expect you to come prepared for class
having completed the assigned day’s reading before class begins.
If it seems that people are not coming to class prepared, quizzes will
be administered at the instructor’s discretion.
Essay
Each student is
required to watch and review one of the Japanese films listed on page 45
of SATO’s text, Farewell to Nippon. Your essay (details to be
handed out later) will take into account the concept of Nihonjinron,
exploring to what extent we can find this theme delivered in the film.
These films are screened and selected to be imported/exported to Japan –
thus, in some way, they most likely portray some stereotypical
characteristics of “the Japanese.” Your essay will investigate your
findings of Nihonjinron representations in one of these films. This
essay is due on May 10 in class.
Grades and Grading Policy
Course
Evaluation:
Participation
(Attendance + in-class discussion) 10%
Discussion
questions/responses on WebCT 20%
Essay 30%
Quizzes (2
total) 40%
Total
100%
TOTAL: 100
points
Schedule of
Readings/Topics:
Week |
Date |
Topic |
Reading Assignment |
1 |
1/25 |
Introduction to the Class
Using WebCT |
|
|
1/27 |
Your Imaginations of Japan |
|
JAPAN AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES: NIHONJINRON |
2 |
2/1 |
Japan’s place in Social Sciences |
IJS:
Chpt 1
JIO:
Chpt 1 |
|
2/3 |
Understanding Nihonjinron |
JIO:
Chpt 3 |
From Pre-Modernity to
Post-Modernity without passing “go” |
3 |
2/8 |
Background Information |
JIO:
Chpt 2
JM:
Chpt 1 |
|
2/10 |
The Outcome?
Video: The Japanese Version |
IJS:
Chpt 10 |
|
|
SOCIAL STRUCTURING |
|
4 |
2/15 |
Class or Consumption as Stratifiers? |
IJS:
Chpt 2
JIO:
Chpt 6 |
|
2/17 |
Region as Stratifier |
IJS:
Chpt 3 |
GENDER, FAMILY, EDUCATION, & WORK |
5 |
2/22 |
Gender and Family First |
IJS:
Chpt 6
GWV:
“Introduction”
GWV:
Chpts 1 & 2 |
|
2/24 |
No Class |
|
6 |
3/1 |
Working Peoples |
IJS:
Chpt 4 |
|
3/3 |
To Work or Not to Work |
GWV:
Chpts 3 & 4 |
7 |
3/8 |
Education Background |
IJS:
Chpt 5 |
|
3/10 |
Education & Gender |
GWV:
Chpts 5 & 6 |
8 |
3/15 |
Video: Schools of Thought |
|
|
3/17 |
Women’s Selves |
GWV:
Chpts 7 & 8, “Conclusion” |
9 |
3/22 |
Spring Break |
|
|
3/24 |
Spring Break |
|
10 |
3/29 |
QUIZ 1 |
|
|
3/31 |
Cesar Chavez Day, No Class |
|
IDENTITY, ETHNICITY, MARGINALIZED, & OTHERS |
11 |
4/5 |
Who are “the others”? |
IJS:
Chpt 7
JM:
Chpt 8 |
|
4/7 |
The “First” Others |
JM:
Chpt 2 |
12 |
4/12 |
Burakumin |
JM:
Chpt 3 |
|
4/14 |
Okinawans |
JM:
Chpt 6 |
13 |
4/19 |
Nikkeijin |
JM:
Chpt 7
NOH:
Chpt 1 |
Ethnicity and Identity
inside and outside Japan |
|
4/21 |
Scene Setting |
NOH:
Chpts 2-5
FTN:
“Prologue” |
14 |
4/26 |
Workers |
NOH:
Chpts 6 – 8
FTN:
Chpt 1 |
|
4/28 |
Students |
NOH:Chpts
9 -11
FTN:
Chpt 2 |
15 |
5/3 |
Intermediaries |
NOH:
Chpts 12-14
FTN:
Chpt 3 |
|
5/5 |
The Nation in Kind |
NOH:
Chpts 15 – 16
FTN:
Chpts 4-5 |
16 |
5/10 |
Video: Overstay
Essay due in class |
|
|
5/12 |
QUIZ 2 |
|
Technology
Requirements
Students will need an electronic
mail account and computer access to the Web. All CSUS students enrolled in
one or more units can create a SacLink
account for electronic mail and Internet services. Although a home computer
with a high speed modem running Netscape or Internet Explorer would be beneficial,
students can use the Web from one of the campus student labs.
Computing Recommendations
You should be comfortable using
a computer and willing to browse the Web. This class requires online class
participation on the Web assignments and electronic discussions.
You need:
- Macintosh compatible with System
10 (OS X) or higher or Windows compatible Pentium running Windows 98 or XP.
- 128 MB of RAM
- 56K modem or faster connection
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 5
or Netscape 6 (or higher)
- SacLink or other Internet Account
(REQUIRED)
- Word processing skills
For this course a List-Proc has been
established. The name of the List-Proc is ANTH134-L. You
must sign up to receive this list-proc; it is a requirement of the
course. In order to sign up for the List-Proc, please follow see the
following website:
http://www.csus.edu/uccs/inetemail/ListProc/index.htm
Please note the following trouble-shooting issues (courtesy of Ms.
Kathy Dunham):
The main problem students have when subscribing to listproc is that
their email program is configured to send messages in HTML format.
Listproc
will only process requests sent in 'Plain text' format.
To change the format check the preference or options settings in the mail
program. Find the option for "mail sending format". The choices are
probably
'plain text' 'rich text' or 'HTML'. Be sure 'plain text' is selected.
Under
the 'plain text' or selection set encoded text equal to 'none'.
If students receive errors they do not understand, they need to forward a copy
of the error message along with a description of what they were attempting
to do, to the saclink helpdesk (saclink@csus.edu).
Text
and Materials
Required:
An Introduction
to Japanese Society. 2nd
Edition. By SUGIMOTO, Yoshio. JS
No One Home:
Brazilian Selves Remade in Japan.
By LINGER, Daniel NOH
Gambling with
Virtue. ROSENBERGER, Nancy. GWV
Japan’s
Minorities: The Illusion of Homogeneity.
Edited by WEINER, Michael. JM
Japan and Its
Others. CLAMMER, John
JIO
Farewell to
Nippon. SATO, Machiko.
FTN
|