JAPN 314: Japanese Visual Culture and Media
Course Description:
A focused analysis of historical and modern Japanese society through works of art and media including photography, film, maps, and other visual documents. Students learn to extract information from images as part of a visual analysis. They will also deal with social geographical methods for understanding population density, urban flows, economic disparities, transportation, and built environments. Students will analyze and compare what they understand about Japanese culture with other, more familiar environments. Taught in English. (Prereq: Junior or Senior Standing)
A focused analysis of historical and modern Japanese society through works of art and media including photography, film, maps, and other visual documents. Students learn to extract information from images as part of a visual analysis. They will also deal with social geographical methods for understanding population density, urban flows, economic disparities, transportation, and built environments. Students will analyze and compare what they understand about Japanese culture with other, more familiar environments. Taught in English. (Prereq: Junior or Senior Standing)
2.1
This was my first fray into Japanese Culture at CSUMB and I was both excited and apprehensive. While I may have studied the language and culture in high school, I had never had a class that solely focused on Japanese culture so this was a welcome change. Due to my love of animation and manga, I knew that this class would be beneficial in expanding my knowledge on these and other forms of media. Not only that, I was introduced to other interesting concepts such as wabi-sabi (finding beauty in imperfection) and kami (not necessarily a god or just a spirit - it is a divine being that inhabits both human and non-humans). Learning about these thought-provoking concepts through lectures, group discussions and presentations broadened my perspectives on how the Japanese utilize visual culture and media to speak to their audience. What I hope to learn from this is how the Japanese can differentiate their style of visual culture from the rest of the world even as it continuously changes with the world.
This was my first fray into Japanese Culture at CSUMB and I was both excited and apprehensive. While I may have studied the language and culture in high school, I had never had a class that solely focused on Japanese culture so this was a welcome change. Due to my love of animation and manga, I knew that this class would be beneficial in expanding my knowledge on these and other forms of media. Not only that, I was introduced to other interesting concepts such as wabi-sabi (finding beauty in imperfection) and kami (not necessarily a god or just a spirit - it is a divine being that inhabits both human and non-humans). Learning about these thought-provoking concepts through lectures, group discussions and presentations broadened my perspectives on how the Japanese utilize visual culture and media to speak to their audience. What I hope to learn from this is how the Japanese can differentiate their style of visual culture from the rest of the world even as it continuously changes with the world.
2.2
Every other week or so, we would have a class discussion in groups on various topics. In each group, we would have at least one Japanese student in order to share both an American and a Japanese perspective on the selected topic. In doing so, we would learn a lot from what each person would say about things such as Japan's various styles of art and the essence of kami, developing each other's cultural awareness.
Every other week or so, we would have a class discussion in groups on various topics. In each group, we would have at least one Japanese student in order to share both an American and a Japanese perspective on the selected topic. In doing so, we would learn a lot from what each person would say about things such as Japan's various styles of art and the essence of kami, developing each other's cultural awareness.