Modern Japanese Media

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course introduces the study of Japanese culture through the media of modern Japan. Japanese popular culture is traced from its roots in the early twentieth century to today. In the chaotic period that followed the bursting of postwar Japan’s economic bubble, Japanese popular culture has provided one of few bright spots in an ongoing economic malaise. Among the aims of the course is to examine how seemingly distinct media and subcultures combined to create an overarching cultural system, such that one medium’s success can spur another’s. To that end, the course is organized according to a roughly chronological model. The popular media of comics, animation, clothing, and music will recur throughout the course, though other media, such as live-action film and literature, will be treated as the occasion arises. Key objectives of the course are to introduce students to the critical languages of popular culture and to help students develop skill in analyzing everyday cultural products. There are no regular screenings for this course, but there will be occasional assigned viewings in addition to course readings.