In Spring 2010 I teach two classes:
The below are informal descriptions of the courses. Please watch this web site for formal and official information. This site (www.sonic.net/~tabine/) will be the main location for information (including the syllabus), not bSpace.
I am sometimes contacted by students who cannot enroll and can only get onto waitlists or not even waitlists. If you have read the below descriptions and are interested in a class please read my enrollment overview. As we get closer to the beginning of the semester, each class will have its own main page on this web site (not bSpace) and further announcements will be made there.
I have included links to the web pages for this class the last time it was offered. See at the end of each paragraph below.
Japan 7B is a survey of modern Japanese literature and culture from the Meiji period until the post-WWII era, but with not a lot of attention paid to very recent literature or cultural events. We read in English and there are no prerequisites.
Is it difficult?
- There is quite a bit of reading.
- We have a four step analytic essay writing process that some students find challenging but does give a lot of feedback about proper paper form and content.
- My tests can be difficult to prepare for but the grading curve itself is not unfriendly.
- Students who cannot follow instructions or submit things in a timely manner sometimes feel that they are swimming upstream.
- Passive presence can have a negative impact on your grade.
- Still, fundamentally we are exploring introductory material and it is more a question of commitment than a difficulty at the level of the course content.
Details.
- The last time I taught this class was Spring 2009. Here's a link to that web site, but there are definitely some differences. We read Oe Kenzaburo instead of Murakami. And the whole schedule needs to be rethought because of the new RRR day policy. But, anyway, here it is: J7B as taught Spring 2009
Japan 159, when I teach it, is a focused exploration of a single author, Oe Kenzaburo. We read four of his novels and some miscellaneous related material. This class alternates between days where we read in the original Japan and days where we read in English. The language component of this class is a bit difficult; the literature component of this class is also difficult. We will be watching Oe develop certain writing themes over the course of his writing career. His topics, and his literary techniques, are difficult and require considerable thinking over. This class has "dark" material which some find to be a challenge. Also, I have very high expectations of student participation in this class and if you are truly unable to participate in class discussion, you may find it difficult and you many not receive a grade you could be satisfied with. Students worry about the language component but what they really should worry about is whether they are able to consistently walk through the door prepared, where being prepared means having read the material thoughtfully and carefully, not skimmed or rushed. I teach this as my most difficult upper-division class and I expect students to be at their full strength. I love this class, and I think Oe is well worth extended and careful consideration, but this isn't a playful class. We are pretty serious all the way through. I recommend that you come on the first session and get a sense of things.
The last time I taught this class was Spring 2008. It will need to have some changes to it, because of the new RRR days, but mostly it will look as it did that year. Here's a link to that web site: J159 as taught Spring 2008