Humanities 130 Office:
BR-25A
Japanese History and Culture Office Hours: T/TH
9-9:30,
Prof. David C. Prejsnar 2-3
pm & by appt.
Email: dprejsnar@ccp.edu Phone:
215-751-8644
Web: http://faculty.ccp.edu/FACULTY/dprejsnar
Japan is a country with a long history, a history full of
interesting and at times contradictory developments. Some scholars emphasize Japan’s uniqueness:
with a culture like no other, able to be understood only by the Japanese
themselves. Other scholars argue that
this view buys into an obsession with defining “Japaneseness”, as a form of
stereotyping, or as a “myth” believed and promoted sometimes by the Japanese
themselves. Still others find in Japan
not uniqueness, but paradigmatic examples of general stages of historical,
economic and cultural development, such as “Modernization.” What we can say for certain is that Japanese
culture and society, as with all cultures, defies easy description and
analysis. Japan indeed resembles
mainland Asian culture and today Western culture in many ways, but it also has
developed and kept many of its own customs and institutions. Perhaps it is this fact about Japan, its
dynamic identity that combines both the traditional and the contemporary, that makes it both such a fascinating subject
of study and such a potentially rewarding one.
Fourteen weeks will not be enough time to unravel most (or perhaps any)
of these issues or questions. But I do
hope this class will serve to get you “hooked on” and intrigued by Japan. Moreover, I hope our study over the next
fourteen weeks will allow you to understand some of the major issues regarding
Japanese history and culture, and some of the theories and arguments put
forward to address these issues by both Japanese and Western scholars.
Humanities 130 takes a multi-disciplinary approach based
in history, but also using disciplines such as anthropology, religious studies
and art history. We will study the
values, beliefs and traditions of the Japanese people through their history,
art, religion, society, politics, literature, thought and film. We will emphasize social, cultural,
political/economic and intellectual history.
Political and economic relations are important influences on cultural
practices; the everyday life of people and their culture is important for
understanding long term social change.
In addition, during this term we will study and analyze the origin and
development of various systems and institutions (social, religious, political,
economic) within the Japanese milieu.
Finally, we will examine a number of the scholarly methods and formal
theories used to study Japan.
During the first two weeks of the course we will discuss general issues
related to Japanese history and culture: “What is Japan’s place in the world
today?” “How can one think about and work with aspects of culture?” “How can
one represent, and mis-represent, cultures?”, “How did early Western visitors
to Japan represent the Japanese?”, “What is history and what does a historian
do?”, “What is the basic background to Japanese history; geography, climate,
religious traditions, etc?”, “How have scholars dealt with the ‘Periodization’
of Japanese history?” These issues will
be explored in more depth as we move through Japanese history and culture.
The next eleven weeks of the course
will move roughly chronologically from
pre-historic to modern Japan. However,
we will also occasionally include readings and discussions relating various
aspects of Japanese culture and history to works and issues from contemporary
Japan and Japanese popular culture (such as Buddhism in Japanese history and
Osamu Tezuka’s manga story of the
Buddha.) At times it will appear we might
be stuck in a particular historical period while at other times it may seem we
will skip eras. Doing history
necessitates leaving some things out in order to focus on significant patterns
and relationships.
The last week of the course will focus upon two key aspects of
contemporary Japanese culture: anime, and Japanese pop music and idols. We will consider these through manifestations
of contemporary Japanese popular culture (anime, manga, television, J-Pop, etc.)
and what these might tell us about Japan.
Texts - The following paperback texts have been ordered at the
College bookstore and are required for the class. In addition you will be give packets of
handouts containing supplementary readings (SM.)
Required:
Pyle, Kenneth B.; The Making of
Modern Japan, 2nd Edition (MMJ). Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath, 1996.
Totman,
Conrad; Japan Before Perry (JBP).
Berkeley, CA. University of California Press, 1987.
Craig,
Timothy J.; Japan Pop! Inside the World of Japanese Pop Culture (JP!),
Armonk, NY, M.E. Sharpe, 2000.
Keene,
Donald, Anthology of Japanese Literature (AJL). New York: Grove Press, 1955.
Note
to students receiving financial aid for Fall Term: On or before the first day of classes,
students who have completed the financial aid application process and have had
their financial aid authorized will be eligible to have a projected portion of
their aid available as Bookstore Financial Aid Credit (BFAC). The amount of the BFAC will depend on the
student’s financial aid package but will not exceed $400. Students will be able to buy books and
supplies needed for success in the classroom during the first few weeks of the
term in the College Bookstore. (See your student page on the College Portal for
more information on the BFAC.) BFAC not
used during the first few weeks of the semester will be distributed to the
student as a part of the balance check distribution process. Balance checks, which in the past several
years have been distributed to some financial aid students during the first
week of the semester, will be distributed to financial aid students only after
the third week attendance has been completed and the reporting process is
complete. For the Fall 2005 term, this
means that balance checks for most students will be distributed beginning
October 10, 2005. If attendance is not
reported as satisfactory, students may not receive their balance checks. More than one unexcused absence during the first three weeks of class is
considered unsatisfactory attendance.
2) You will be asked to write
a weekly short response essay (1-2 pages) to one or two assigned primary or
secondary texts. Your response should
include a summary of the main ideas of the text, as well as your own analysis
of the selection discussing its relevance for understanding Japanese history
and culture, or the assigned topic. You
will be evaluated on content, style, and grammar, although expressing your
ideas takes precedence and should be your first area of concern. 15%.
3) There will be two short
map and historical period identification quizzes on Sept. 20 and 22 to assess
your progress in this material. 10%.
4) There will be an in-class
mid-term and a final examination. The
exams will be a mixture of short answer, text analysis and essay question. You will be asked on the exam to demonstrate
that you have done and understood the class readings. Examination study guides
will be distributed prior to the examination.
20% each.
5) A five-seven page research
paper will be required. The topic for
the paper will deal with a problem or issue in traditional or modern Japan you
will select in consultation with the instructor. You will be required to submit various
written products (topic, thesis statement, annotated bibliography, draft of the
paper), each of which will be signed off on a checklist and which will count
towards credit. I will return these with
comments. The final signed paper is to
be submitted during the day of the final examination. None of these elements will be accepted
until the previous elements are completed and returned, and no final draft will
be accepted without first my reading and returning an acceptable complete first
draft. I suggest you use the
University of Minnesota Assignments Calculator to help you plan out the
research process (http://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator.) The paper should be typed and
double-spaced. . 25%.
6) Extra Credit –
Philadelphia is a rich site to study Japanese history, culture and
politics. We will attempt this semester
to take a number of field trips to avail ourselves of these resources.
Depending on what is available we might include a fieldtrip to the Japanese
House and Garden in Fairmount Park, a trip to see Japanese art in the
Philadelphia Museum of Art and possibly some events at the University of
Pennsylvania. The trips, since they will
fall outside of scheduled class times, will be optional, but you can write a
report on each trip for extra credit for the class. Students who cannot make the trips will have
the option of completing an alternative assignment project. (But the fieldtrips will be much more fun!)
Course Goals - In terms of course goals, the first goal is to help
you gain a general knowledge of Japanese culture and history so that,
regardless of what academic or career path you take in the future, you will be
able to understand basic, important Japanese values, traditions, practices,
institutional structures, etc. A second
goal of the course (as a course with an interpretive and writing emphasis) is
to improve your critical thinking and writing abilities through assignments
using primary sources, translated from Japanese. This will allow you to work on skills in
analyzing primary texts, and in writing essays using historical arguments. Finally, a third goal of the course (a
cultural emphasis) is to introduce you to a number of the main theoretical
approaches used by scholars of Japan in understanding Japanese history and
culture. In particular we will discuss
“modernization theory”, some critics of modernization theory, and theoretical
approaches that can be termed “Post Modern” and “Post-Colonial.” This should allow you to begin to see how
scholars of Japan have approached this material, and to test some of these
theories and interpretations.
Course Objectives – At the end of fourteen weeks successfully students
should be able to
1.
discuss some
basic issues in thinking about culture (especially in representing and
misrepresenting others) as illustrated in Western accounts of Japan;
2.
identify basic
terms, personalities and concepts associated with the study of pre-modern and
modern Japan, and explain the historical significance of those listed by the
instructor on the examination study guides;
3.
give the
inclusive dates for commonly used periods in Japanese history, identify these
periods and characterize their historical significance;
4.
discuss some of
the main issues and problems regarding periodization in Japanese history, and
discuss evidence accounting for the major periodization shifts marking the
history of pre-modern and modern Japan;
5.
identify and
locate important items of geographical information and evaluate and explain
some environmental impacts on the historical development of traditional
Japanese culture;
6.
discuss with
insight and the use of supporting evidence the developmental process behind and
the basic characteristics of social, political, economic, cultural and
religious life in premodern and modern Japan;
7.
discuss the idea
of “cycles” in Japanese history
8.
understand
current scholarly understanding of the prehistoric period of Japan
9.
distinguish and
discuss the Classical, Medieval and Early Modern Periods of Japanese history,
10. discuss the influence of Chinese culture on Japan and
the ways the Japanese modified, used and rejected elements of Chinese culture;
11. analyze and discuss the significance for Japanese
culture of primary texts from Japanese history and culture, including the Kojiki,
the Man’yoshu, The Tale of Genji, An Account of My Hut, Love
Suicides at Sonezaki, The Charter
Oath, and others;
12. discuss with insight selected genres and periods of
traditional Japanese fine arts;
13. understand the significance of castle towns and their
role in the transformation of Early Modern Japan,
14. distinguish and discuss internally and externally
generated aspects of the modernization process present in Japan before 1868;
15. discuss the patterns of economic, political, social
and cultural modernization emerging in Japan after 1868, accounting for the
impact on these patterns of both Japanese traditions and the process of
Westernization;
16. describe and discuss the historical process leading to
Japanese involvement in World War II;
17. characterize the impact of the West on contemporary
Japanese life and culture, including aspects of Japanese popular culture;
18. discuss Japan’s “American Revolution”, the Yoshida
Doctrine and the evolution of the political system and economic nationalism in
the Postwar period;
19. discuss with insight and the use of supporting
examples aspects of contemporary Japanese culture, including the Japanese
education system, love and marriage, women’s roles, popular culture, and
leisure;
20. discuss and be able to characterize the approaches to
Japanese history and culture of Modernization Theory, the critics of
Modernization Theory, and Post-Modernism and Post-Colonialism.
Overview - This course will focus on a number of significant
themes and problems arising out of the interplay between change and
continuity in Japanese culture and history.
How to account for both change and continuity represents a
basic problem in Japanese history. Japan
has often been viewed as a society built on continuity and consensus, but
historians such as Tetsuo Najita have argued “the characterization of Japan as
a consensual society proceeding along an evolutionary course or, at times,
deviating from it, is misleading.” Seen
from another viewpoint, many historians of Japan have argued that Japanese
history can be interpreted as cycling between periods of importation of foreign
traditions (from China and later from the West), and periods of less openness
to the outside world, focusing on integration of imported teachings. Throughout history the Japanese have
accepted, and been particularly conscious of, foreign ways of thought, and how
these influences have metamorphosed in Japan into something different from the
original. Cultural borrowing is an
important factor in all cultures. It has
been argued, however, that in Japan, unlike in other cultures, there is a much
stronger sense of what is, and what is not, “native”; the Japanese retain a
higher degree of consciousness of the “foreign-ness” of various
influences. If true, this could make the
study of Japanese history, as Albert Craig has noted, an interesting example of
cultural and institutional adaptation that could also serve as a possible model
for studying other non-Western cultures.
Perhaps a more in-depth sketch of how we will precede
through the term will be helpful and serve as a road map. We will begin by examining some general
issues arising from thinking about culture; how does one represent, and
mis-represent, cultures other than ones own?
How did early Western observers try to make sense of Japan, and what can
we learn from their approaches? Next we
will look at some basic aspects of the Japanese environment: geography,
climate, language and writing system, religious traditions and historical
context and periodization.
With
this background we will turn to examining the culture of Japan as it developed
from early Japan through the rise of the samurai that culminated in the
establishment of the Kamakura military government (bakufu.) It was during Classical Japan (as Conrad
Totman calls it) that Chinese culture and Buddhism were decisively introduced
into Japan, having a profound influence on Japanese culture. We will observe this in a number of
documents. Buddhism complimented, but
also challenged, Shinto, a “native” tradition of Japan. We will study the beliefs and practices of
Buddhism and Shinto, and how they influenced and were expressed through
Japanese literature, art, music and political and economic institutions. We will also examine Heian society and
culture: the “Golden Age” of Japanese civilization and the Age of the Shining
Prince Genji as captured in The Tale of Genji and The Record of the
Pond Pavilion.
The twelfth century is identified as the period that saw
the rise of the bushi (samurai) to
power, and the development of a system often labeled as “feudal” and
“medieval”. We will examine some of the
reasons why the samurai might have risen to power, and the influence of these
warriors on Japanese culture. Buddhism
continued as a major force in Japanese culture during this period, but also
underwent profound changes, including the growth in popularity of new schools
such as Pure Land, Nichiren and Zen Buddhism which appealed to the common
people. We will also assess the reasons
why historians have identified this period (1168-1600) as “feudal”, and
whether, as John Hall says, “Japan can be said to ‘have had’ feudalism”. Sources we will use to study the Medieval
Period are emakimono (narrative picture scrolls), and the Record of
the Ten-Foot Hut by Kamo no Chômei.
Next we will turn to the Tokugawa Period (1600-1868),
often alternatively labeled either the “Era of Centralized Feudalism” or the
“Early Modern Period.” Confucianism,
although introduced into Japan earlier, had its greatest influence during this
time. Other key developments during the
Tokugawa Period were the somewhat more centralized nature of state power, and
the rise of urban populations and a merchant culture, represented in the plays
of Chikamatsu and the Ukiyo-E (pictures of the floating world.) An underlying historical problem we will need
to examine is how to account for the rapid modernization of Japan following the
Meiji Restoration in 1868, and whether there were factors supporting
modernization at work in Japan before 1868.
We will also examine the approach known as “Modernization Theory”, which
often argues that the ground for modernization was prepared by certain
intellectual, political and economic shifts during the Tokugawa Period. We will
read and discuss Matsuo Bashô’s Oku no Hosomichi.
The fifth section of the course will examine Japan’s
modern transformation in the Meiji (1868-1912), and Taishô (1912-1926)
periods. Major developments we will
examine are the collapse of the “feudal” system, the “Restoration” of the
Emperor, and the employment of Western values and institutions. The political development during the late
Meiji and Taishô can be seen as either a deepening commitment to democracy and
Western constitutional values, or as a superficial embrace of imported
ideas. We will examine this debate and
study how these elements were expressed in literature, art and film of the
time. We will also consider some challenges raised by historians of Japan to
this modernization theory.
The
sixth part of the course will consider the Shôwa (1927-1989) and Heisei
(contemporary) periods. Readings will
deal with the events leading up to World War II in the Pacific, and the
aftermath of the war, including the American Occupation, Japan’s reemergence
during the Sixties and the Seventies to the status of a world economic
super-power, and the results of the bursting of the “Bubble Economy” and the
strengthening of China since the Nineties.
Finally,
we will conclude with a look at contemporary Japan (1960-2004) and at
contemporary Japanese culture; we will study selected modern and contemporary
developments in Japanese culture in the areas of women’s roles, and popular culture in order
to understand where Japan is headed today.
We will also examine how the theories and approaches of Post-Modernism
and Post-Colonialism have been and could be applied to Japanese culture. We will discuss the importance and role of anime,
manga, J-Pop and other aspects of contemporary Japanese culture. Here, and throughout the course, we will see
excerpts from some movies about pre-modern and modern Japan, including Rikyu,
Shadow Samurai (if available), Tokyo Pop, Fancy Dance (if
available), and selected anime.
No background on Japan is necessary or expected, but
students are expected to read and write English at the college level.
Teaching Method - The main teaching methods will be discussion and
lecture. Most days the instructor will
use lecture to provide information on specific aspects of Japanese history and
culture, to set the context for classroom discussion, or to summarize the
results of class discussion. However, much classroom activity will be
discussion focusing on specific primary texts, art, film or music from Japanese
culture. You are expected to actively
participate in class discussion as a speaker and listener. You will take others’ ideas seriously. The participation of all students in class
discussion, speaking and listening, is essential for a successful
semester. This is important both for the
development of a sense of community and for the exchange of ideas. To not share your ideas is to deprive the
rest of the class of what you have to offer, and everyone has something to
offer. Therefore, doing the reading,
completing the weekly writing assignments, coming to class with a list of
questions and responses to the readings, and contributing to class discussion
are crucial. I expect discussions to be
spirited! This will make for an
interesting and exciting semester.
Plagiarism and Cheating – Cheating, including plagiarism, is an extremely
serious academic infraction. A student
who is caught cheating will at the least receive a grade of “zero” for the assignment,
and may receive a grade of “F” for the entire class at the sole discretion of
the instructor.
Some Additional Suggestions
For Achieving Success in This Class:
Snow Closing - If the College is closed
because of snow, listen to KYW for our number: 238 day.
Disability - If you have a documented
physical or learning disability, you may be eligible for accommodations and
support through the Center on Disability.
Please let me know if this is the case, and I will work with you and the
Center to help you succeed.
Learning Lab, Computer and
Email Access –
Free tutoring and workshops are available to all students in B1-28. The College has a new integrated campus
computer system which will allow me to email all students in the class, and
possibly set-up a discussion forum. All
students registered for Fall Term classes have a College email address. Check your College email often and stay tuned
for how the class might be able to use the new computer system this
semester. Students also have access to The
Student Academic Computing Center in B2-35 and in the CBI Building, which
provide computers for use by students.
There is web access with soundcards.
The Library also has some computers for student use. Also, all students are able to receive a free
email account through the College.
International Education
& Liberal Arts Curriculum - I am the Coordinator for International Education
& Studies at the College, and can answer any questions you may have about
the International Studies Curriculum, and about the College’s Study Abroad
Programs. If you are interested in
someday studying in Japan please talk to me.
I also coordinate the Liberal Arts Curriculum; please talk to me if you
are in the Liberal Arts Curriculum and have any questions.
Welcome - Humanities 130 will be a different kind of educational
experience. You will be asked to
observe, listen, speak, read, write, and, especially, think about Japan and
Japanese history and culture. I look
forward to an interesting semester.
Course Outline -
I. Introduction:
Background to Japanese History & Culture
Sept.
6, 8 Introduction to the Course
- Overview; Japan’s Place in World History
“Analyzing Texts”,
JP! Introduction, Akira (video)
Sept.
13 Thinking About Japanese
Culture
“Thinking About Culture”
(SM), “Superfrog Saves Tokyo”
Sept.
15 Japan: The Setting and
Historical Background - Land, Climate, Traditions
JBP xi-xv, “Guide to Reading Historical Texts” (SM),
“Geography of Japan” (SM), “Periodization in Japanese History” (SM),
“Religious Traditions in Japan” (SM)
II. Prehistoric and
Ancient Japan (To 1185 CE)
Sept.
20 Prehistory and History:
Japan Before 710; Early Sources on Japan, Quiz 1
JBP 1-17; “The Dawn of Japanese History” (SM)
& “Early Shinto” (SM), “Human Nature in Early Japanese Myth” (SM)
Sept. 22 The
Formation of The Yamato State, Quiz 2
JBP 18-26
Sept.
27 Early Japanese Poetry:
From Ritual to Short Lyric in The Man’yôshû
The
Man’yôshû (AJL 33-53); “The
Japanese Language and Writing Systems” (SM), Ki no Tsurayuki’s “Preface
to The Kokinshû” (SM); Background material on Japanese Poetry (SM).
Sept 29 Nara
Period (710-794 CE); The Taika Reforms: The Influence of Buddhism and Chinese
Influence
“The
Seventeen Article Constitution of Prince Shotoku (SM); JP! Chap.
6.
JBP
26-69
Oct.
6, 11 The Tale of Genji;
Anime: The Tale of Genji
“Yugao” (AJL 106-136);
“Murasaki on the Art of Fiction” (SM)
JPB 70-117; “An Introduction to Japanese Pure Land
Buddhism” (SM)
JPB
117-132
Oct. 20 Mid-Term Examination
Oct. 25 Reunification
of Japan & The Establishment of the Tokugawa System
MMJ
Chap. 1 & 2; “Neo-Confucian Orthodoxy” (SM)
Oct. 27 Orientation to Library Research on Japan
(Library)
Nov. 1 Tokugawa
Society and Culture- Basho: Oku no Hosomichi
Movie: Rikyû
AJL
363-386
Nov. 3 Tokugawa Society and Culture: Chonin Culture
and Chikamatsu
Love Suicides at Sonezaki: Movie: Double Suicide
MMJ
Chap. 3, “Love Suicides at Sonezaki” (AJL 386-409)
Paper
Topic Due
Nov. 8 Crisis
in the Tokugawa System
MMJ Chap. 4
Paper
Working Thesis and Paragraph Due
Nov. 10 The Meiji Restoration/Revolution
Video:
Meiji: Asia’s Response to the West
MMJ
Chap. 5 & 6
MMJ Chap. 7 & 8
Annotated
Bibliography Due
Nov. 17 Taisho Democracy and Japanese Imperialism
MMJ Chap. 9 & 10; “Japanese
Colonialism: Enlightened or Barbaric?” (SM)
Nov. 22 The Road to the Pacific War
MMJ Chap. 11; “The 1930’s: Aberration or Logical
Outcome?” (SM)
Paper Outline Due
Nov. 24 Thanksgiving, No
Class
Nov. 29 Japan’s American Revolution &
Post-Occupation Japan
MMJ Chap. 12; JP!
Chap. 2 & 12
Complete Draft
of Paper With Bibliography Due
Dec. 1 The
World of Japanese Anime and Pop Culture
MMJ
Chap. 15; JP! Chap. 7, 8, 9, 14
Dec. 6, 8 Tokyo
Pop: JPop and Pan-Asian Pop: Tokyo Pop (Movie)
MMJ Chap. 16, JP! Chap. 3, 4 & 17
Dec. 13 College Reading Day, Review
Dec. 14-20 Final Examination Week – Examination
Date TBA
Final Draft of Paper Due on Day of Final
Examination
SCHEDULE OF
WEEKLY WRITTEN RESPONSES
Date Topic Reading
Sept 8 "Analyzing Texts" Handout “Text Two”
What questions would you pose to Text Two? What is your interpretation of this text?
13 Thinking
About Japan “Thinking About
Culture”
What lessons about how we view culture and how we view Japan
should we learn from these early Western accounts of Japan?
20 Early Japanese
History “The Dawn of Japanese History”
Based on these early Chinese and Japanese written accounts, what
conclusions can you draw about the nature of early Japanese society and
culture? What seems to be the view of
human nature in these myths?
Sept. 27 The Man’yôshû AJL
32-49
Based on the poetry you have read contained in this collection,
what seem to be some of the features of Japanese poetics? What might these poems show us about the
nature of Japanese society at that time?
29 Nara Japan “The Seventeen
Article Constitution”, JP Chap. 7
Where do you see the values and beliefs of Buddhism, of
Confucianism in the Seventeen Article Constitution?
Oct. 6 The
Tale of Genji AJL
106-136
What is the meaning of the poem that “Yugao” sends to Genji, and
how does it relate to her nature and to the role of nature in the story?
13 An Account of
My Hut AJL 197-213
What values does Chômei assign to the city? To the country? What roles does “culture” (art, music, etc.)
play for Chômei, and do you think his hut is a product of culture or of nature?
25 Japanese
Confucianism Handout on Japanese
Confucianism
What elements did Confucianism contribute to Japanese
culture? How does Confucianism differ
from Shinto and Buddhism?
Nov. 3 Love
Suicides at Sonezaki AJL
386-409
What does this play show us about the society and culture it
portrays? How is the society of Tokubei
and Ohatsu different from that of Genji and Yugao?
10 The
Meiji Restoration MMJ
Chap. 5
In your view is it more accurate to see the Meiji Ishin (維新) as
more of a “revolution” or as a
“conservative reaction”?
17 Japanese Colonialism MMJ Chap. 9
What
could be an argument to see Japanese colonialism and imperialism as a sign of
her progress? How could it be argued it
was a sign of her political immaturity?