This course uses Japanese Manga, cartoons, and Anime, animated movies, as modern mirrors that reflect the Japanese experience of rapid economic and social transformation over the past 150 years. Starting with the examination of ancient Japanese style of visual expression, we will trace how Manga and Anime sketch out a parallel world that is linked both historically and culturally to the imagined community of the Japanese nation-state. Taught in English.
This course satisfies MLO 2 and MLO 4. Through examining primarily manga and anime we were able to learn about what concerns are part of Japanese culture through time. Buy watching Momotarou and the Divine Sea Warriors we saw what culture Japan hoped to foster in their people and in the countries they hoped to control during World War II. Looking at contemporary manga and anime we were able to see what concerns Japan has now, including but not limited too: bullying and suicide, the environment, war, and atomic weapons and what life might look like after such destruction, etc. Then through discussion in class we were able to compare these concerns and how they impact Japan to our culture. This satisfied MLO 2. As for MLO 4, it was satisfied through research projects that could be done individually or in small groups no larger than three. Looking at the course material we had to apply it to our own understanding of anime and manga and delve deeper into a particular area to present to the class. This resulted in ten minute power point presentations which I have included mine here.
shoujo.pdf |