Contemporary Japanese Culture

Code:

LA043

Acronym:

CJC

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Cultural Studies

Instance: 2015/2016 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Germanic Studies
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Applied Languages

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
LA	13	LA - Study Plan	1	-	6	52	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

The goal of the first module is the transmission of knowledge of the contemporary history of Japan, highlighting its cultural values ​​and heritage developed in the contemporary period, from the end of World War II to our days. The approach will be centered in the study of two distinct types of documents: literary texts and Japanese films.

 

In the second module, the students will be oriented to read books in order to acquire knowledge about Japanese culture. Reading through classics in sociology, psychology and ethics of the XX and XXI centuries will give the students key elements of Japanese culture and help them to understand the relationship between traditional values ​​and aspects of current Japanese sub-culture known as pop Japanese culture.

Learning outcomes and competences

The first module proposes a reading of Japanese history, from the postwar period to the present day, through the analysis of two of its richest and most recognized artistic expressions: literature and cinema. On completion of training, it is expected that the student has acquired a diachronic as well as synchronic perspective on Japan's contemporary history, that he knows the problems and challenges facing the country in the past seven decades and is able to relate in an informed and creative way, artistic production with historical and cultural context.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Program

First module:

1. The atomic bomb and the end of the war

2. The American occupation of Japan and the habits of the first post-war generation

3. The old and the new: the arrival of capitalism

4. The identity crisis and the reaffirmation in the world

5. The 60s and the beginning of the 70s: the golden age of the artistic avant-garde

6. The return of the preoccupation with nuclear destruction and natural catastrophes

7. The hippie movement in Japan and new representations of sexuality

8. Tradition and modernity in the transition of eras

9. The 90s and the redefinition of popular culture

10. Today’s Japan

 

Second module:

1. Study of Japanese Society (Chie Nakane, 1970)

2. Study of The Anatomy of Dependence: The Key Analysis of Japanese Behaviour (Takeo Doi, 1973)

3. Study of Bushido: The Soul of Japan (Inazo Nitobe, 1900)

4. Students’ presentations

Mandatory literature

BIENATI, Luisa e SCROLAVEZZA, Paola ; La Narrativa Giapponese Moderna e Contemporanea, Veneza: Marsilio, 2009
KINGSTON, Jeff ; Japan in Transformation, 1945-2010, Nova Iorque: Routledge, 2010
RICHIE, Donald ; A Hundred Years of Japanese Films, Tóquio: Kodansha International Ltd, 2005
Henshall, K. G; História do Japão, Lisboa: Edições 70, 2005
Kato, S. ; A History of Japanese literature: The first thousand years., Tokyo: Kodansha international., 2002
Guitiérrez, F. G.; El Arte del Japón, Madrid: Espasa-Calpe, 1967
Piggot, J. ; Japão, Lisboa: Verbo, 1982

Complementary Bibliography

Allison, A; Millennial Monsters: Japanese Toys and Global Imagination, Tokyo: Shinchosha, 2010
Nitobé, I.; Japan: Some phases of her problems and development., London: Ernest Benn Limited, 1931
Nitobé, I.; Japan: Some phases of her problems and development., London: Ernest Benn Limited, 1931
Nakane, C; Japanese Society, Vermont and Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle, 1970
Benedict, R.; The Chrysanthemum and the Sword., Boston, 1946
Nitobe, I; Bushido -The Soul of Japan., New York and Tokyo: ICG Muse, 2001
Doi, T; The Anatomy of dependence., Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2001
Santos, C.; O Japão: Na história, na literatura e na lenda, Lisboa: Vida Mundial Editora, 1943

Teaching methods and learning activities

• 
  

  Oral presentation with media resources.

  
  


• 
  

  The evaluation will be based on oral presentation, class participation, quizzes and an optional project.

  
  


• 
  

  Students are encouraged to participate in the discussion regarding the issues raised in the readings done in the classes. The active participation in the classes is highly evaluated.

  
  

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	40,00
Trabalho escrito	60,00
Total:	100,00

Eligibility for exams

Calculation formula of final grade

Participation in classes and research work 40% + final work (written or oral) 60%

Examinations or Special Assignments

Internship work/project

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Classification improvement

Observations