KANSAI GAIDAI UNIVERSITY JAPAN

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Literary Representations of Diverse ErasStudents will discover the essence of Japanese literature in this unique course that traces the development and adoption of literature into society. Students will analyze literary works from each period of Japanese history and realize the signifi-cance of literature—both past and present as a means of under-standing Japanese culture and society. The course will further examine how the rapid and dramatic transformation of Japan influenced the diversification and evolution of literature. The course is divided into sections—ancient, classical, and medieval, concentrating on the pre-war and post-war periods.New Perspectives on Japanese Society and CultureThe rich history of Japanese society and culture has played a vital role in shaping modern-day Japan. Through the study of various socio-cultural practices and phenomena such as mythol-ogy, religion, education, and globalization, students in this course examine critical developments in Japanese history. Each module of the course is structured around a social or cultural subject with emphasis on their critical aspects that can deepen and broaden historical understandings of Japanese society and culture.East Asian Literature and Culture in TranslationWhat insights can contemporary Asian literature reveal about culture, politics, gender and history? Through an examination of East Asian literature, photographs, music, and film from Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong and more, this course will examine the intensive process of globalization in this region as well as the current rapidly growing inter-Asian cultural flows. Moving beyond the selected texts as part of a literary/art genre, students will envision how these cultural productions are inseparable from our living surroundings, and how these texts shape social memories, traditional Asian values, gender roles, nationalisms, and historical traumas.Urban Culture AsiaUrban cultures in Asian societies are multi-layered and intricate. The question of urban Asia acquires new significance at the current moment, as the impact of globalization and advancement of digital technology have created a thriving East Asian cultural market and active exchanges of pan-Asian popular cultures among different locations. Looking into various forms of urban culture in contemporary Asian societies (fictions, musicals, films, sporting events, current examples of K-pop fandom and related boy-bands and girl-groups, etc.) students will be engaged in critical discus-sions about how people experience patterns of cultural expressions that are not readily reduced singular narrative.ShintoShinto, the ancient religion of Japan, is an important part of the Japanese cultural imagination. Shinto is visible everywhere, and there are few Japanese people who do not have some contact with Shinto, many of them on a regular basis. Yet it is not easy to answer the question, “What is Shinto?” Students in this course will examine Shinto from as many perspectives as possible: religious, philosophical, anthropological, and political. Students are encour-aged to explore Shinto in today’s Japan as part of their coursework. Religion in JapanProviding an introduction to the most important types of religious expression in Japan, this course will cover ancestor worship, Shinto, Buddhism, and the New Religions, with a focus on contem-porary beliefs and practices, especially religion that is encountered every day. Various approaches to the interpretation of religion will be discussed. Topics include: the fox deity; Yasukuni Shrine contro-versy; Tenrikyo; Soka Gakkai; Buddhist heavens and hells; Buddhist Pure Land; rites for aborted fetuses. This course is open to students at all levels.Zen BuddhismBuddhism, like any religion, provides answers to the “big questions” of human existence: How did human life first occur? Why do tragedies happen? What happens after death? How should we lead our daily lives? This course presents an overview of Zen Buddhism, with a focus on these fundamental existential and religious questions. Zen also asks some of its own questions: Is ordinary life in some way incomplete? Can a dog become a Buddha? What is the point of meditation? Specific topics include: koans; Bodhidharma, the legendary founder of Zen; Linji, the master of strange words and wild actions. This course emphasizes reading the original Zen texts.Death in East Asian ThoughtWhile it is an undeniable fact that people die, the interpretation of death varies greatly from culture to culture. Course topics include: the afterlife (or non-afterlife); treatment of a corpse; and funeral rituals. The course will look at Confucian, Daoist and Buddhist answers to questions about the meaning of death. Japan is an especially intriguing case, since the two major religious traditions, Buddhism and Shinto, have significantly different conceptions of death and the afterlife. In exploring death in particular Japanese topics include: ancestor worship, funeral practices, cemeteries, brain death. Short stories and films will be used. Students are encouraged to do fieldwork.Pilgrimage: Journeys in Search of MeaningThe mysteries, uncertainties, and challenges of travel to sacred locations help to place these journeys near the forefront of human endeavors. Pilgrimage is, quite simply, one of the most universal and significant forms of religious expression. Japanese religious traditions can be said to have an above average appeal to sacred travel. Wandering monks, mountain ascetics, and even spiritually driven laypersons of ancient and medieval Japan established patterns of travel that would become the great pilgrimage routes of Japan. This course offers a somewhat open-ended invitation to explore the many curiosities of sacred travel. While Japan and Japanese religious traditions will be the primary focus, students will also have opportunities to consider and compare activities from other contexts and traditions.History of Modern JapanIn a survey of modern Japan, from the time of the Tokugawa Shogunate up to the recent past, this course provides students with a broad survey of the political, economic, social and cultural developments in Japan. Major themes include the rise and fall of the Shogunate; the "opening" of the nation; economic and techno-logical development under the Meiji government; the crises of the Taisho and Showa eras; Japan at war; and the postwar economic "miracle." By the end of the course, students will have acquired a broad general knowledge of the history of modern Japan; be able to communicate effectively and analyze complex questions about 21