Note: EA105 will fill this year definitely since I cannot take more than 30 or so in the room. So, yes, getting in might be somewhat difficult this semester. The best thing you can do is stay in touch with me and attend the first day. We block everyone but majors and so it is typical that you cannot enroll in the class at the outset and will be manually added from the waitlist later. It is also possible you cannot get on the waitlist. Students come and go so my advice there is to keep watching and keep trying to join the list. J7B may be in the same situation but I am able to take more students for that class so getting in seems less likely to be an issue.
Through the analysis of "love"-related aspects of selected East Asian narratives (premodern literary texts and modern cinema), students sharpen their understanding of traditional East Asian values and, in the process, consider the status of such values in contemporary East Asia. On the one hand, students develop interpretive skills while exploring the traditional role of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism in "love" narratives, and, on the other, share diverse opinions on definitions of love in contemporary China, Korea and Japan. This class uses an "Active Learning Classroom" approach. Most course content is delivered outside the classroom via reading assignments and online lectures. In-class time is often exercises. Attendance is critical. No prerequisites. Open to all.
Audio comments: EA105Sp17 5:54
This class explores major literary writers of modern Japan and introduces important cultural contexts from the Meiji Restoration (1868) into the 21st century. Analytic focus is determined by the key directions of the texts themselves, resulting in a wide range of topics including problems with individualism, definitions of the beautiful, moral weakness / strength, conundrums in apprehending or narrating truth, revenge, and aimlessness. Readings might include Higuchi (short fiction), Tanizaki (short fiction), Soseki (short fiction & novel: Kokoro), Kawabata (short fiction & novel: Snow Country), Dazai (novel: No Longer Human), Mishima (novel: Temple of the Golden Pavilion), A-Bomb literature (short fiction), Oe (novel: A Personal Matter), and Murakami (short fiction). All readings are in English translation. Students write analytic essays as part of the course. This class uses an "Active Learning Classroom" approach. Most course content is delivered outside the classroom via reading assignments and online lectures. In-class time is often exercises. Attendance is critical. No prerequisites. Open to all.
Audio comments: J7BSp17 4:41
In J155 we read in the original language modern Japanese short stories by highly regarded authors from the Meiji through Heisei periods. The stories for this class are selected based primarily on these two qualities: distinct contrasts in written style and inherent interest of theme. Learning focus: Since we read in the original Japanese, there are inevitably questions of vocabulary and grammar. Our primary activity, however, is considering how sentence structure, rhythm, pace, word choice and dialect support a work's success as a literary object. Since we read a large number of short stories, the overall structure of the course also functions as an introduction to a variety of Japanese authors of merit. This class uses an "Active Learning Classroom" approach. Most course content is delivered outside the classroom via reading assignments and online lectures. In-class time is often exercises. Attendance is critical. Prerequisites: Completed or concurrent enrollment in J100B (as a minimum), or consent of instructor.
Audio comments: J155Sp17 5:11