158-246 Contemporary Japanese Society

Note

Available as 158-346 at 3rd-year level.

Credit Points

Coordinator

Semester

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Subject Description

This subject examines basic themes in contemporary Japanese society, as well as commonly used theoretical models. Students will read classic works of 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 1,500 words in written work) and complete two essays of not more than 3,500 words. Students are required to attend a minimum of 70 percent of all classes in order to be eligible to submit the final essay.

Prescribed Texts

• Ruth Benedict, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword: Patterns of Japanese Culture. London, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1977.
• T C Bestor, Neighborhood 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.