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Handbook 1997 : Faculty of Arts : Japanese

158-246/346 Contemporary Japanese Society

Credit Points:

16.7 2nd and 3rd year

Coordinator:

Dr Carolyn Stevens

Timetable:

Semester 2

Contact:

Three hours per week

Subject Description:

This subject examines basic themes in contemporary Japanese society, as well as various theoretical models which are commonly used to interpret Japanese society. Students will read classic works of Western interpretations of Japanese society, including Benedict's The Chrysanthemum and the Sword and Nakane's Japanese Society, which serve as a foundation for the understanding of Japanese social life. Topics for discussion include the tension between individuals and collective society; notions of hierarchy, gender- and age-based status identities, community relations, and the effects of social change. Students are expected to think critically about current events in Japan and apply these ideas to their own culture and society.

Assessment:

To receive full credit, students must attend all lectures and participate actively in tutorial discussions, complete a 90 minute mid-term examination (equivalent to 1500 words in written work) and complete a critical essay of not more than 3500 words. Students are required to attend a minimum of 70% of all classes in order to be eligible to take the examinations.

Prescribed Texts:

  • Ruth Benedict, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword: Patterns of Japanese Culture, London, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1977.
  • T C Beston, Neighbourhood Tokyo, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1989.
  • Dorinne Kondo, Crafting Selves: Power, Gender and Discourses of Identity in a Japanese Workplace, University of Chicago Press, 1990.
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Handbook 1997 : Faculty of Arts : Japanese 
Status:                   OFFICIAL 1997
Last Modified:            Wednesday March 12 3:36 pm
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Email Enquiries:          Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au
Copyright © University of Melbourne 1997.