JAPN215: Cool Japan Today
Course Description: This course examines contemporary media culture and products as a conceptual lens to focus on Japanese pop culture and soft power in the 21st Century. Manga, Anime, Cinema, literature, performance art, music, and fine arts will all be surveyed with an eye to understanding what exactly is cool and different about Japanese creative work and whether these kinds of cultural exports could become the foundation of a new post-industrial Japanese economy. Taught in English. (Credit/No Credit Available)
Similar to the way JAPN407 was my first experience with a culture class based on Japan as the nation, JAPN215 was my first experience in studying Japanese Pop-Culture. I've been a consumer of Japanese pop-culture for most of my life, from Pokemon to Sailor Moon, I watched the animes and played the games. But this class showed me aspects I hadn't considered before, including traditional art-forms like ikebana and what it means to be a geisha. The class encouraged us to see just how Japan managed to build its 'soft power' empire and realize how far the reach had extended across the globe. This class had a discussion nature, so I was often in groups with Japanese students, and they provided first hand accounts of some of the aspects I had not experienced before. My final project covered the tourism industry in Japan, and examined the specific ways Japan advertises all of its regions.
Similar to the way JAPN407 was my first experience with a culture class based on Japan as the nation, JAPN215 was my first experience in studying Japanese Pop-Culture. I've been a consumer of Japanese pop-culture for most of my life, from Pokemon to Sailor Moon, I watched the animes and played the games. But this class showed me aspects I hadn't considered before, including traditional art-forms like ikebana and what it means to be a geisha. The class encouraged us to see just how Japan managed to build its 'soft power' empire and realize how far the reach had extended across the globe. This class had a discussion nature, so I was often in groups with Japanese students, and they provided first hand accounts of some of the aspects I had not experienced before. My final project covered the tourism industry in Japan, and examined the specific ways Japan advertises all of its regions.