Course Syllabus

[Download a PDF copy of the syllabus here.]

JAPNLIT 162 (Spring 2017)

Class Meetings: Tuesday 1:00-3:00 pm, Northwest Bldg B104 (SEAS)

Section TBA

 

Instructor:

Tomiko Yoda, 2 Divinity Ave., Rm. 217

Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:00-4:00 or by appointment

Email: yoda@fas.harvard.edu (please begin the subject headline with "JAPNLIT 162" for correspondences regarding this course)

 

Teaching Fellow:

Joelle Tapas

Email: tapas@fas.harvard.edu

 

Course Description:

In contemporary Japan, girls and girl culture are considered to be among the most significant sources of popular cultural trends. For instance, the girly aesthetics of “cute” (kawaii) has animated broad areas of Japanese consumer culture since the 1980s and is fast becoming a global cultural idiom through the popularity of Japanese entertainment, media, and fashion products abroad. The course will explore a number of key questions about Japanese (and global) girl culture. How did the conceptualization of girlhood, girl culture, girl bodies, and girl affect transform in Japan from the early twentieth century to the present? How did various medias and media consumption help shape these trends? What can the exploration of “girls’ question” tell us, not only about Japanese socio-cultural history, but also about the general conditions of youth, gender, and media culture in the world today (e.g., the sea of pink at recent Women’s March at DC and elsewhere)? We will begin the semester by unpacking key terms such as “girl,” “girlhood,” and “girl culture” in relations to the modern and contemporary notions of gender, maturity, and majority. The course materials include fiction, popular magazines, teen films, manga, and animation. No prior knowledge of Japanese language or history is expected.

 

Assignments:

• Weekly reflection papers (250 min., 350 words max.) on assignments for the upcoming week to be posted on the course website by Monday@6pm every week unless otherwise noted.
• Paper #1 (5-7 pages), due Saturday, March 4 @ 6 pm
• Take-home midterm exam, due Saturday, April 8 @ 6 pm
• Paper #2 (10-12 pages), due Friday, May 5 @ 6 pm
• Quiz: In-class final short quiz (either during the Tues class or at a section meeting TBA)
• No final exam

 

Grading:

• Class participation and reflection papers: 30%
• Mid-term take-home exam: 15%
• Paper #1: 10%
• Paper #2: 30%
• Final Quiz: 5%

 

Reflection Papers are short write-ups where you are expected to reflect on, question, criticize, and offer analyses on the assigned materials. Please remember that you do not have to (in fact, you shouldn't) summarize a piece of text or a video in order to express your thoughts about it. Rather, you are encouraged to begin directly with the points you want to address. These writings are not expected to be polished analyses and you are encouraged to raise thoughtful questions about what you have read or viewed. Sometimes I may post specific questions that I want you to respond to. If no such questions are posted, you are expected to respond directly to the materials on your own terms.

 

Your Responsibilities: A course cannot be successful without your input and cooperation. There are few policies that I want you to keep in mind.

• Class attendance (including discussion sections) is mandatory. Missing more than two class meetings may result in grade reduction. If you know you will miss a class please send a note to TF explaining your absence.
• You are expected to submit all assignments on time. We will accept one late posting with no question asked; but more than one late submission may result in grade reduction.
• You are expected to come to classes prepared (having completed assigned readings/viewings/writings). You should make every effort to participate in classroom discussions. Thoughtful participation will have positive effects on your final grade.

 

Course Materials:

Required textbooks to be purchased (available at Harvard Coop except "Yellow Rose")

• Yoshimoto Banana, Kitchen
• Okazaki Kyoko, Pink
• Takemoto Novala, Kamikaze Girls
• Hagio Moto, Heart of Thomas
• Yoshiya Nobuko, "Kibara" and "Translator's Introduction," by Sarah Frederick (only available on Amazon.com in kindle edition, please purchase it online)

Optional textbook: Tanizaki Jun'ichiro, Naomi (If you decide to write about this novel for your paper #1)

• All other reading materials will be available under "Files" on the course site, unless otherwise noted.
• All videos are available on reserve at Harvard-Yenching Library; some can be watched online as well.
• Names of Japan-based writers, scholars, and manga creators are listed with family name first, following the Japanese convention.

 

Academic Integrity

Discussion and the exchange of ideas are essential to academic work. For assignments in this course, you are encouraged to consult with your classmates on the choice of paper topics and to share sources. You may find it useful to discuss your chosen topic with your peers, particularly if you are working on the same topic as a classmate. However, you should ensure that any written work you submit for evaluation is the result of your own research and writing and that it reflects your own approach to the topic. You must also adhere to standard citation practices in this discipline and properly cite any books, articles, websites, lectures, etc. that have helped you with your work. If you received any help with your writing (feedback on drafts, etc), you must also acknowledge this assistance.

Please see Harvard's guides to Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism.

 

Accessible Education

Any student needing academic adjustments or accommodations is requested to present their letter from the Accessible Education Office (AEO) and speak with the professor by the end of the second week of the term.  Failure to do so may result in the course head's inability to respond in a timely manner.  All discussions will remain confidential, although AEO may be consulted to discuss appropriate implementation.

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WEEKLY TOPICS AT A GLANCE

WEEK 1 (1/24) Introduction

WEEK 2 (1/31) Girls, Girl Culture, and Feminism

WEEK 3 (2/7) Girl Body, Girl Affect and the Advent of Modern Japan

WEEK 4 (2/14) Modern Girls: Gender and Media During the Interwar Period

WEEK 5 (2/21) Girl Magazines, Girl Fiction, and Passionate Friendship among Girls

WEEK 6 (2/28) Girl Modernism

WEEK 7 (3/7) All-Women Takarazuka Theater and Cross-Dressed Fantasies

WEEK 8 (3/21) "It's a Cat...It's a Girl...It's Cutie!" Postwar Girl Culture

WEEK 9 (3/28) Girl Manga and Love among Boys

WEEK 10 (4/4) Girl Fiction of 1980s

WEEK 11 (4/11) Mediated Naughty Girls of Post-Bubble Japan

WEEK 12 (4/18) Lolitas and Fashion Subculture

WEEK 13 (4/25) Love, Capitalism, and Urban Girls