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Department of the Languages and Cultures of Japan and Korea

Issues in Post-war Japanese Society 1

Course Code:
155901329
Unit value:
0.5
Year of study:
Year 1 or Year 2
Taught in:
Term 1
This course is available to student's in their first and second year.  No prior knowledge of Japanese culture and/or history is required but it would be an advantage. This course is designed to offer a critical introduction to issues in contemporary Japanese society.  It will both complement and enhance the offerings available within the section by incorporating a contemporary perspective which is essential for preparing students for their 3rd year abroad. 

Prerequisites

No pre-requisites are required.  This course is available as an open option to students on Year 1 and/or Year 2 on any SOAS degree.

Objectives and learning outcomes of the course

At the end of the course, the students will be able to demonstrate a clear knowledge about ‘issues’ dominating the discourse in 20th/21st century Japanese society.  The course will be topical, covering mainly political and social aspects and their impact on Japanese culture and society. It is to sharpen their critical awareness of what is happening in Japan before they engage further with the country.

Classroom discussions will encourage the students to develop a critical awareness of present-day Japan and question their own stereotypes and images – which will be underlined by the essay, in which the students will be familiarised with bibliographic methods, taking also into account how sources from the world wide web should be dealt with. Furthermore, in the essay the students will be encouraged to make critical use of a wide range of media, such as books, academic journals and newspapers.  The course is essential for anyone planning to further investigate contemporary Japanese culture and society in course of their degree.

Workload

This is a one term course taught over 10 weeks with a 2-hour lecture per week.

Scope and syllabus

The study of Japan will be focused on post-war Japan. The aim of this course is to incorporate the contemporary perspective on Japan in looking critically at discussions in post-war Japanese politics and society. Specific topics to be analysed in their post war manifestations include:

  • the imperial institution
  • right wing nationalism
  • national identity
  • Japan and its minorities
  • Japanese politics
  • Japan and its reception in the wider world as well as vice versa

Method of assessment

One two-hour written examination taken in May/June (60%) and one essay of 3,000 words to be submitted in Week 2, Term 2 on the day on which the course is taught (40%).

Suggested reading

  • Gordon, Andrew (2003): A Modern History of Japan. Oxford: Oxford UP.
  • Ruoff. Kenneth (2001): The People’s Emperor. Cambridge MA: Harvard UP.
  • Weiner, Michael (ed.) (1997): Japan's Minorities. The Illusion of Homogeneity. London: Routledge.
  • Pharr, Susan J. and Krauss Ellis S. (eds.) (1996): Media and Politics in Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.
  • Breen, John (ed.) (2008): Yasukuni, the War Dead and the Struggle for Japan’s Past. New York: Columbia UP.
  • Segers, Rien T. (2008): A New Japan for the 21st Century. An Inside Overview of Current Fundamental Changes. Milton Park et al.: Routledge.
  • Nozaki Yoshiko (2008): War Memory, Nationalism and Education in Post-War Japan, 1945-2007. The Japanese History Textbook Controversy and Ienaga Saburo’s Court Challenges. New York: Routledge.
  • Befu Harumi (2001): Hegemony of Homogeneity. An Anthropological Analysis of Nihonjinron. Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press.
  • Oguma Eiji (2002): A Genealogy of 'Japanese' Self-images. Translated by David Askew. Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press.
  • Clammer, John (2001): Japan and its Others. Globalization, Difference and the Critique of Modernity. Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press.
  • Hook, Glenn D. (et al.) (2001): Japan's International Relations: Politics, Economics and Security. London: Routledge.
  • Takashi Inoguchi (2005): Japanese Politics. An Introduction. Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press.