Liberal Arts Basic “Literature”

Literature

Instructor: Kristina IWATA

; Grad School of Humanities, Rm 221

1. Class Meetings

XXday, YYth period (beginning April ZZ), ILAS Bldg. RmXYZ

2. Course Registration

The course is designed for first year G30 undergrad students but is also open to NUPACE students interested in Japanese literature. Students must submit a Course Withdrawal Request Form by XX at the latest when they have no intention of finishing a course during the semester.

3. Course Prerequisites

As a literature course by nature involves a certain amount of reading, students should be prepared to read and discuss a different literary text each week. This means that students with a genuine interest both in “literature” and in “Japan” will benefit most from this course.

4. Course Description

In this course we will explore a number of important issues in Japanese modern and contemporary literature, including the question what “literature” means in the modern period. Rather than attempting to give an exhaustive overview, we will examine issues surrounding cultural encounters (in the wider sense) through the lens of literary texts. The selected works are discussed in close relation to their respective social and political contexts, providing students with good background knowledge of specific aspects of modern Japanese society.

4. Course Content

Japanese modern and contemporary literature in English translation with a focus on short stories and short novels. The course will combine lecture (approx. 1/3) and seminar (approx. 2/3), which means that the outcome significantlydepends on students’ preparation and active discussion in class. Assignments will include weekly readings, presentations and panel discussions.

5. Textbooks & Reference Materials

No textbook is required for this course. All readings will be made available in English as PDFs.

6. Evaluation

Participation 25% / Reading Notes 25%
Presentation 25% / Final exam 25%

* Note that evaluation criteria depend on final class size and are therefore subject to change.

** In keeping with NU policies, students must attend 80% of classes in order to receive credit for the course. For a 15-week semester, this means that missing more than 3 absences may lead to you failing the course (absences for medical reasons, certain school functions, etc., will be excused if proper documentation is provided).

7. Tentative Schedule

W1: Introduction

W2: Shifting Conceptions of “Literature” I

W3: Shifting Conceptions of “Literature” II

W4: “Howto Read Literature”

W5: Early inter-cultural encounters

Mori Ogai, Dancing Girl (舞姫1890)

PRESENTATION:

W6: Hokkaido, Japan’s first colony

KunikidaDoppo: The Shores of the Sorachi River (空知川の岸辺1902)

PRESENTATION:

W7:Koreans in Japan I: Resisting assimilation

Kim Sa-ryang, Into the Light (光の中に1939)

PRESENTATION:

W8: Koreans in Japan II:Failuretoassimilate

Noguchi Kakuchu:Foreign Husband (異族の夫1958)

PRESENTATION:

W9: Quo vadis, Okinawa

ŌshiroTatsuhiro, Cocktail Party (カクテル・パーティー1967)

PRESENTATION:

W10:Imagining the total “Other”

Nishimura Kyōtarō: The Isle of South Kamui (南神威島1970)

PRESENTATION:

W11: Transcultural metamorphosis

Tawada Yoko:Where Europe begins (Wo Europa anfängt, 1988/1991)

PRESENTATION:

W12: Running away from the father(land)

Levy Hideo: A Room Where the Star-Spangled Banner Cannot be Heard (星条旗の聞こえない部屋1992)

PRESENTATION:

W13: Unwelcome in Japan

David Zoppetti: The Newcomer (いちげんさん1996)

PRESENTATION:

W14: Literary mathematics

Ogawa Yoko: The Housekeeper and the Professor (博士の愛した数式2003)

PRESENTATION:

W15: FINAL EXAM