Cool Japan: Japanese Pop Culture at Home and Abroad
A Day-long Workshop for Educators
Saturday, December 3, 2011
9 am – 3:30 pm
United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA Building)
3303 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010
Teachers-only price: FREE (registration fee of $35 will be applied if participants do not attend)
To register, please complete the form below and send it as an email attachment to or fax it to 213-821-2382.
The Saturday teacher training program will focus on how to integrate the information and presentations from the workshop into teaching. Refreshments and lunch are included.
The registration deadline is Friday November 18, 2011. Please register now, a limited number will be allowed to attend!
You’ve no doubt seen images from Comic-Con or other gatherings. Or perhaps you’re one of the many who love Japanese anime, manga, music, game shows, video games, food, and fashion have become hugely popular far beyond the country’s borders. K-12 educators are invited to join us for a workshop that will explore some of what is popular in Japan, what this suggests about contemporary values and worries, and how some of Japanese pop culture has attracted legions of fans in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Who should attend? Anyone who teaches about Japan or would like to do so and anyone interested in issues such as how history is presented in popular media and what has facilitated or hampered the embrace of elements of Japanese pop culture by Americans and others.
Presenters:
William Tsutsui, Southern Methodist University
Dean of SMU’s Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, William Tsutsui is the author of Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters and co-author of In Godzilla's Footsteps: Japanese Pop Culture Icons on the Global Stage. Before helping scholars and the general public make sense of the global reach of Japanese pop culture, Tsutsui was well-known for his path-breaking work on Japanese business history. For example, his 1998 book Manufacturing Ideology: Scientific Management in Twentieth-Century Japan received the top award for a book on Japan from the Association for Asian Studies.
Lynne Miyake, Pomona College
A popular professor of Japanese language and literature, Lynne Miyake has followed the rise of manga (comic books) and, especially, how manga creators have remade Japanese classics. One of her recent articles is “Graphically Speaking Genjis: Manga Versions of The Tale of Genji.” Miyake notes that manga has had an impact on virtually every aspect of Japanese life. Most of Miyake’s research has focused on classical Japanese literature and she’s published extensively on narrative strategies and portrayals of gender in Heian Japan.
Akira Mizuta Lippit, University of Southern California
One of the nation’s top specialists on Japanese cinema, Akira Lippit is professor of cinematic arts, comparative literature, and East Asian languages and cultures. His books include Atomic Light (Shadow Optics) looks at those moments when science and technology create ways of seeing that which is otherwise can’t be seen. His analysis utilizes films where key elements are invisible or made invisible. His current research looks at contemporary Japanese cinema and the relationship between Japanese culture and the world.
In addition to working with these presenters, participants will discuss how to effectively utilize elements of Japanese pop culture to teach about Japan, about cultural exchange, and about globalization. Each participant will be given a copy of William Tsutsui’s Japanese Popular Culture and Globalization as well as additional readings and resource recommendations. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.
To enroll:
1. Complete this workshop application
2. Send the application and a check for $35 (payable to the University of Southern California) to the USC U.S.-China Institute at the address below. The check holds your registration space. It will be returned to participants at the end of the workshop. If you do not attend the full workshop, the check will be cashed.
Deadline Friday, November 18, 2011.
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REGISTRATION FORM
NAME
HOME ADDRESS
CITY STATE ZIP
EMAIL PHONE
SCHOOL CITY
CREDIT CARD # EXPIRATION
REGISTRATION FOR:
SIGNATURE
Signing this form means you agree to participate in the workshop. Should you not cancel your registration by October 19, 2011, USC will charge your credit card $25.
Fax (213-821-2382) or email () this form by October 14, 2011.