Nation and Identity in Modern Japanese Fiction

JPN 251-01

Nation and Identity in Modern Japanese Fiction

Fall 2013

Oglethorpe University

Instructor: Dr. Steen

Meeting Times: Tuesday, Tuesday 4:00-5:30

Classroom: Hearst 206

Office: Hearst 314

Phone: 404.364.8394

Email:

Office Hours: MF 12:00-2:30; W 1:30-2:30; TTh 1:00-2:00

Objectives

·  To become familiar with major themes and stylistic features of modern Japanese literature

·  To develop a foundational knowledge of key writers and literary movements

·  To explore connections between literature and history from the Meiji period through the present

Course Description

Through readings of fiction and poetry we will ask the following: What did it mean to be a “modern” writer in Japan? What was the relation between modern literature, nation building and Westernization? How was gender constructed, and how were gender categories both reinforced by and contested in literature? How did writers understand the relationship between literature and mass culture? How did defeat and occupation by a foreign power change the way writers saw Japan as a nation? How did they view their role? How did their view of that role evolve during the era of high economic growth? What are some definitions of postmodernism and how is it reflected in contemporary Japanese literature?

The course will be organized into the following five units. While the units fall into rough chronological order, each unit examines literature from a particular thematic or critical perspective.

I.  Literature and Nation-building

II.  Gender and Sexuality

III.  Marxism and Modernism

IV.  Postwar Literature and the Body

V.  Postmodernism: The End of Literature?

I will sometimes give lectures on historical background that address such topics as the Meiji restoration; the development of publishing and the mass media; the rise of consumer culture; war and the impact of defeat; the postwar “economic miracle,” and the end of the bubble economy.

There are no prerequisites for this course. All readings and instruction are in English. Knowledge of the Japanese language is helpful but not required.

Required Texts

Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, ed. Donald Keene

Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa Penguin Classics

The Sailor Who Feel From Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima Vintage, 1994

Sixty-Nine by Ryu Murakam Kodansha, 2006

Naomi by Tanizaki Jun’ichiro Vintage, 2001

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, Grove Press, 2006

** indicates that the reading is available either on reserve in the library or in the “Electronic Reserves” folder on the Moodle course site.

Requirements

Attendance

Since class depends on good discussion, attendance is expected. Excessive absences and lack of participation in extracurricular events will result in a low class participation grade or no grade at all. You may miss four classes for any reason. After these four absences, your final grade will be lowered one third of a grade per absence (from B+ to B, for example). If you have ten absences you will receive an F or FA in the course.

The following types of absences will not count against your unexcused absences:

·  Illness documented by a physician’s or nurse’s note or email.

·  Attendance by student athletes at official athletic competitions, documented by a coach’s note or email.

·  Attendance at the funeral of an immediate family member.

·  Religious holidays.

·  Jury duty with official proof.

Class Participation

Your contributions to the class are valued. You are encouraged to participate on a regular basis by making comments and posing questions relevant to the reading. Comments that show a lack of foundation or are not grounded in a careful reading of the text are not helpful. Comments that are thoughtful and demonstrate a genuine interest in the topic will be reflected positively in your course grade.

Discussion forum participation

Every Wednesday night you will be expected to post on Moodle a brief (one or two paragraphs), thoughtful response to the next day’s reading. Your posts can be written in an informal style, should be free of grammatical errors.

Article Abstract

You will write a two- to three-page abstract of a scholarly article pertaining to one of the course themes, describing the content of the article and how it is helpful in deepening your understanding of the theme. You will work with the reference librarian to identify an article of interest using GALILEO and submit the title for approval by the date indicated. The instructor will supply examples of article abstracts.

Digital Project

You will collaborate on a project such as a wiki or a digital presentation as it relates to one of the themes of the course. Examples of projects will be provided. Class time will be set aside for you to explore options and work together.

Papers

You will be expected to write two 6-8 page papers on a topic selected from a list provided by the instructor.

Due dates are as follows:

Paper I Thursday, October 17

Paper II Thursday, December 21

Grading

Paper I 25%

Paper II 25%

Abstract 5%

Discussion forum 5%

Digital project 10%

Class Participation 15%

Final Exam 15%

Moodle

Moodle is Oglethorpe’s learning management system. It will be used extensively in this course. You will submit your written work and receive feedback through Moodle. I will also communicate with you and post your grades on Moodle. You will post weekly Reading Journal entries on Moodle. Time-sensitive announcements will be posted in the News Forum. Copies of these posts will automatically be sent to your Oglethorpe email address. It is your responsibility to check your email daily to stay current with course developments. Your attendance record and your grades throughout the course can be viewed on Moodle.

Honor Code

The students and faculty of Oglethorpe University expect each other to be truthful in the academic endeavor they share. Faculty assume students complete work honestly and act toward them in ways consistent with that assumption.

Students pledge that they have completed assignments honestly by attaching the following statement to each piece of work submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a course taken for academic credit:

“I pledge that I have acted honorably.” (Followed by the student’s signature)

All references to sources should be duly cited and acknowledged.

Plagiarism is a serious violation of the Honor Code. Never consider copying work from the Internet or buying a paper. Your pledge indicates that the ideas and the wording in your paper are your own unless another source is noted. Violators of this rule will be reported to the Honor Council.

Plagiarism includes representing someone else’s words, ideas, data, or original research as one’s own, and in general failing to cite or otherwise acknowledge the source of such work. One has the responsibility of avoiding plagiarism by taking adequate notes on reference materials, including material taken off the Internet or other electronic sources, used in the preparation of reports, papers, and other coursework. Not realizing that one plagiarized is not an excuse. Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks, giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation, and changing words but copying the rest of a sentence without giving credit are all forms of plagiarism.

Incompletes

An incomplete for unfinished work at the end of the semester will be granted only in the most exceptional cases. All incompletes must have permission from the instructor with a clear understanding of the work which remains to be completed. According to university regulations all remaining work for the course must be completed within 30 days following the date of the scheduled final examination (December 17, 2013) or the grade of “F” will be assigned permanently.

Readings

Final Exam Thursday, December 12, 2:30