Memory and the Art of Narration

Undergraduate

Memories do not precede the art of narration but are created by it. This course will explore the ways in which storytelling constructs meaning, conferring significance and value on both personal experiences and historical events. In order to narrow the scope of exploration, course materials will focus on the relationship between memory and space/place in Japan from the late nineteenth century to the present day. Because this course will be offered as part of the new Japan LSA in Tokyo and Osaka, it is designed to bring together students from Dartmouth College and Sophia University to engage in discussion about selected works of Japanese literary and visual arts. Class materials will be supplemented by field trips to various urban and rural sites in the Kansai (Kyoto/Osaka) and Kant\u014D (Tokyo/Yokohama) regions to provide needed context. Once the program moves to Osaka, we will focus on translation practice as a way to bring together the goals of this course with those of the language classes and of the work students will do in their journals.