JAPN 308: Japanese Pop Culture
Description
This course explores post WWII Japanese music, literature, artistic media, and hi-tech products. Investigates social themes ranging from post-holocaust Japanese hedonism to childhood fantasies by looking at Manga comic books, Anime animated movies, and popular music from Enka to J-Pop to Karaoke, as well as fashion and style, popular technology, consumerism, and environmental issues. Explores the evolution of pop culture and its impact on society. Taught in English. (Credit/No Credit Available)
Units: 4
Course Reflective Narrative:
This course fulfills MLO 2: Culture since this was another culture course. However, this class focus more on pop culture elements of Japan verse philosophical ideas and aesthetics. This class touched on music and television industry, Akihabara area, and even how Ukiyo-e, which is still relevant in Japan today. Like JPN 306, this class used group discussions, essays (see Essay 1), papers and projects to help reinforce the information and form an appreciation. Before entering this class, I thought I had a fairly good understanding of pop culture, mainly anime and manga, but I came to realize that there is more than just that. In actuality, the class hardly even touched anime and manga, but instead focused on things that people would not know.
One thing that I found particularly interesting was connecting aspects of traditional Japanese culture and beliefs to pop culture now. For example, Japan's Kawaii culture, which does not exist in the United States. My group project, focused on Japan's Kawaii culture and how genders are viewed through it (see Group Presentation). When I first started to learn about Japan, I was very interested in anime and one concept that has evolved from the lack of the United States importing new anime was fansub, subtitle created by fans on the internet. This was the topic for my final paper and how fansubs keep anime more authentic and its localized version (see Final Paper & Final Presentation).I would like to learn more about Japan’s pop culture by actually experiences it hands on during my time studying in Japan. I would like to see how current trends are developed further and advanced in terms of technology or how realistic items/objects can become. My time in Japan will allow me to live with Japanese pop culture daily for a year, it would be a good opportunity to see how things can change in a year times and also understand better as to why they are liked to begin with.
Work Completed:
~Essay 1
PDF
~Group Presentation:
PDF
~Final Paper:
PDF
~Final Paper Presentation:
PDF
This course explores post WWII Japanese music, literature, artistic media, and hi-tech products. Investigates social themes ranging from post-holocaust Japanese hedonism to childhood fantasies by looking at Manga comic books, Anime animated movies, and popular music from Enka to J-Pop to Karaoke, as well as fashion and style, popular technology, consumerism, and environmental issues. Explores the evolution of pop culture and its impact on society. Taught in English. (Credit/No Credit Available)
Units: 4
Course Reflective Narrative:
This course fulfills MLO 2: Culture since this was another culture course. However, this class focus more on pop culture elements of Japan verse philosophical ideas and aesthetics. This class touched on music and television industry, Akihabara area, and even how Ukiyo-e, which is still relevant in Japan today. Like JPN 306, this class used group discussions, essays (see Essay 1), papers and projects to help reinforce the information and form an appreciation. Before entering this class, I thought I had a fairly good understanding of pop culture, mainly anime and manga, but I came to realize that there is more than just that. In actuality, the class hardly even touched anime and manga, but instead focused on things that people would not know.
One thing that I found particularly interesting was connecting aspects of traditional Japanese culture and beliefs to pop culture now. For example, Japan's Kawaii culture, which does not exist in the United States. My group project, focused on Japan's Kawaii culture and how genders are viewed through it (see Group Presentation). When I first started to learn about Japan, I was very interested in anime and one concept that has evolved from the lack of the United States importing new anime was fansub, subtitle created by fans on the internet. This was the topic for my final paper and how fansubs keep anime more authentic and its localized version (see Final Paper & Final Presentation).I would like to learn more about Japan’s pop culture by actually experiences it hands on during my time studying in Japan. I would like to see how current trends are developed further and advanced in terms of technology or how realistic items/objects can become. My time in Japan will allow me to live with Japanese pop culture daily for a year, it would be a good opportunity to see how things can change in a year times and also understand better as to why they are liked to begin with.
Work Completed:
~Essay 1
~Group Presentation:
~Final Paper:
~Final Paper Presentation: