Last update: January 16, 2017

Art Hist 2898 (801) / As St 2096 (801) Contemporary Japanese Art and Visual Culture: 1945 to Present

This course examines the development of Japanese art and visual culture in the postwar period. Instead of providing a linear history of formal developments, this course thematically explores some of the major theoretical issues that surround contemporary Japanese art and visual culture. Critical readings will provide social, historical, and political contexts for understanding a broad range of visual cultural practices including art, fashion, design, graphic novels, and films. Through the course we will consider topics such as the question of modernity and the West in Japanese art; underground art and political dissent in the 1960s; the rise of mass culture and design; roles of gender, cuteness, and fantasy; and representations of otherness and the myth of homogeneity.

Art Hist 2896 (801) / As St 2096 (802) Modern Japanese Visual Culture: Early Edo period through Second World War

This is a writing-intensive Art History course examining Western influence on modern Japanese visual expression spanning the early Eighteenth century in the Edo period through the end of the Second World War. This period is marked by two watershed events linked to Western interventions: the collapse of centuries-old samurai feudalism and Japan's defeat in the Second World War. The course begins by introducing Japan's early encounters with the West and the following effort to modernize itself. Western influence touched every aspect of Japanese life including the visual arts. The course will explore the evolution and transformation of Japanese visual arts in which Western knowledge and culture played a crucial role, and often challenged Japan's long-standing traditional values and artistic practices. The course will chronologically highlight ways in which Japanese artists had to question and gauge their own artistic practices and styles to cope with the aesthetic pendulum swinging back and forth between the foreign and domestic in the rapidly changing political, societal and cultural climate.

As St 2030 (801) Disaster Japan: Earthquake, Tsunami, Nuclear Crisis and the Politics of 3.11

The great East Japan Tohoku Earthquake of March 11, 2011 was among the greatest disasters in history and the direst social crisis in Japan in the post-war era. This course examines the events of 3.11, from the immediate aftermath of the Tsunami, Earthquake and nuclear crisis and the application of crisis management philosophies and procedures, to its influence on Japanese Civil Society, electoral politics and the reinvigoration of the anti-nuclear movement, and volunteerism in participatory politics.

Pol Sci 3520 (801) / As St 3000 (801) Korean Politics

This course is about the government and politics in South Korea. We will first take a look at the historical processes from the liberation and division of the Korean peninsula to the democratization and economic development of the South Korea and nuclear and economic challenges of North Korea. We will then survey the political institutions and groups that shape politics and policy making in South Korea. We will analyze how mechanisms of delegation, representation, and accountability work, and what authorities and constraints decision makers possess and face. We will also analyze the politics and political economy of policy reforms by focusing on several areas of policy making. Lastly, we will look at the current state and prospects of Japan-Korea relations with a special attention to the ways in which history and present-day political institutions shape the incentives and thus, behaviors of the major decision makers in each of the respective countries.

Pol Sci 3510 (801) / As St 3030 (801) Japan's International Relations

The Senkakus, “comfort women”, TPP, and the Ospreys, these are just some of the most pressing issues in Japan's international relations. This course aims to facilitate a deeper understanding of such problems by providing a broad overview of Japan's most important international relationships. Particular emphasis is placed on the country's dealings with the United States, China, the two Koreas, and Russia, though attention is also drawn to relations with other regions and international organisations. In so doing, the topics of the regional balance of power, historical memory, and global trade patterns are all brought to the fore. As the focus of international politics continues to shift towards the Asia-Pacific region, this subject of Japan's place in the world is becoming of ever greater significance.

As St 4096 (801) Gender and Intersectionality in Japan

This course examines gender inequality in Japan by employing an intersectionality framework. According to an intersectional perspective, inequalities are the outcome of interactions between different social categories such as gender, race, class, and sexual orientation. Based on this framework, the course focuses on how gender intersects with ethnicity, race, class, and sexual orientation, and creates multiple inequalities in ethnic and other social minority groups in Japan. We will explore how masculinity and femininity intersect with class and sexual orientation, how gender and class divisions lead to inequality in employment and the feminization of poverty, as well as how intersections of gender and ethnicity induce multiple forms of discriminations against women in ethnic minority groups such as Buraku, Ainu, and Zainichi. The class will be conducted on a seminar basis involving presentation and discussion of assigned readings. All students will be assigned in rotation a reading for presentation. For each class students will be required to submit summaries and discussion questions for the reading assignment in question. Students will also need to complete two major writing assignments, a short analytical essay, and a research paper.

As St 4096 (801) Self, Culture, and Illness in Japan

Who are we? How is our understanding of our ‘self’ related to our physical and / or psychological well-being? And to what extent do our cultural backgrounds affect our conceptions of well-being? This capstone writing course (for Asian Studies major) will aim at answering these questions through critically exploring the cross-cultural conceptions of self, health, and illness with particular focus on Japanese society. The topics to be covered in this course will include anthropological perspectives on conceptions of the self / personhood, health / illness / disease, body / mind, mental health & therapy, as well as critical perspectives on medical and healing systems. Students registered for this course will read works on these topics and will be encouraged to reflect on their own everyday practices so that they can engage deeply with the topics in the Japanese context and critically assess previous writings. They will also conduct independent research on a topic of their choice for the final research paper (upon consultation with the instructor) and will make a presentation on the topic. In the writing process, students will deepen their skills in choosing bibliographic tools, in finding and evaluating authoritative sources, and organizing and properly formatting a research paper.

As St 4096 (803) Social Stratification, Diversity, and Culture (US/Japan)

Social stratification (US/Japan) examines social inequality in the areas of racial/ethnic diversity, gender ideology and sex roles, and economic stratification. The course considers how Japanese society is undergoing significant social change under the influence of globalization, international political influence and civil rights activism. Cross cultural comparisons will be made in labor markets, political ideology that relates to gender and race/ethnic stratification, and the rise of reactionary nationalism and its impact on labor migration and economic inequality.

FMA 3696 (801) East Asian Cinemas

This course investigates how East Asian filmmakers have responded in their work to the experiences of modernity, postcoloniality, and globalization from the 1980s to the present. We will discuss major developments in film aesthetics and in the commercial film industries of Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. We will examine individual films in relation to questions of national identity, politics, gender, authorship, and film genre.

FMA 4240 (801) Audio for Film and Video Production

An introduction to audio recording and editing for film and video production. Students will learn about the techniques and gear used for recording audio both in the field and studio settings, as well as editing systems to create soundtracks for film & video projects.

Japanese 1003 (801) Oral Intensive I

A bridge between beginning and intermediate Japanese levels, this course emphasizes vocabulary building and the use of spoken Japanese through situational conversational practice. Tests will be in the forms of listening and reading comprehension and structured interviews. An ability to read and write hiragana and katakana is required, as is a mastery of most basic grammatical rules.

Japanese 2000 (801) Practical Japanese for Study Abroad Students

This course is designed to give Temple Study Abroad Program students the essential conversational and written Japanese necessary to negotiate their time in Japan. Lectures, assignments, field trips, and other activities will be designed with practical, day-to-day life in Japan in mind. This course is not part of the Japanese Language and Literature major, and students pursuing this major or more rigorous study of the language should register for the formal course sequence, beginning with 1001.

Japanese 2003 (801) Oral Intensive II

A bridge between intermediate and advanced Japanese levels, this course focuses on vocabulary acquisition in a variety of conversational situations. Throughout the semester, several vocabulary quizzes and structure tests will be given, while the final exam will be in the form of interviews. Students are required to complete one project involving various communication activities outside the classroom. Note, the course uses different materials and works on different topics every semester and thus is repeatable. Students need prior written permission from the instructor to repeat.

Japanese 3010 (801) Japanese Communication and Culture II

This course is designed to enhance students' understanding of the intersection between language and culture in Japanese society. The course will provide students with opportunities to address questions regarding Japanese communication styles and/or language use which they might have encountered in Japanese speaking communities and to recognize how Japanese language used in real life situations is diverse. The course will cover a wide range of topics that address language use and variations in Japanese society, such as language and gender, honorifics, dialects, the use of English, and so on. Students will be encouraged to share their own observations and thoughts of Japanese language and its speakers in class.

Japanese 4296 (801) Topic II: Business

Seminar in Japanese and Japan is a capstone course that builds on the solid foundation of advanced linguistics skills, socio-cultural knowledge, and critical thinking that students have acquired. It also marks their final stage of Japanese language learning. Three topics (Topic I: Socio-cultural, Topic II: Business, Topic III: Literature) are offered alternately and designed to allow students to select and pursue a topic of their interest. In the courses, students will learn to read critically and properly appreciate the original texts of a selected topic. While reading about socio-cultural aspects, topics / issues in business, or literature, students will further their understanding of Japanese language.

Lib Arts 2020 (801 & 802) International Career Strategies

The aim of this course is to help students develop a professional mindset. It is designed to explore the career competencies and strategies that are necessary to confidently and successfully transition from college life to the workplace or graduate school. Emphasis is placed on developing the skills necessary in an international career. Participants will use these skills throughout their working life as professionals, managers, executives, or entrepreneurs. This is not a lecture course. It is an interactive workshop giving business majors, in particular, a chance to develop and realize their career potential through exploring career options, preparing a strategy to launch a fulfilling career and improving written and oral presentation skills. The course should increase the student’s ability to: Present professionally (in writing and in person), realistically assess talent and job potential, think critically and creatively about career options and start an international or domestic career search.

Lib Arts 2030 (801) Technology in International Business

Explore the role of information technology as a business enabler and take a look at management information systems' impact on business models and society. Evaluate the organizational fit and suitability of various technologies and interpret the interaction between information technology, customers, processes, data, human resources, and the overall internal and external environment of international businesses. Understand the ethical challenges of information technology and explain the evolving role of management information systems in the organization, and the role and careers of MIS professionals.

MSP 3890 (801) TUJ Film Festival

Work on the TUJ Film Festival.

Music 3300 (801) TUJ Chorus

Performance of standard choral literature. At least one public performance per semester. Note: This ensemble is available to any undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in the University.

Pol Sci 4320 (801) The International Politics of Energy

Modern society's insatiable demand for energy continues to exert profound effects on international politics. Introducing an epic story that features resource wars, oil curses, and vast flows of petrodollars, this course describes the economic, security, and environmental implications of the unequal global distribution of energy resources (especially oil and gas) and analyzes the impact this has on political relations between consumer, supplier, and transit states. Using case studies for illustration, attention is drawn to the US's long-standing and controversial ties to oil-rich monarchies in the Middle East. Focus also centers on the significant role played by Russia in international energy markets, as well as on the impact of the post-Fukushima energy crisis on Japan's contemporary policies. Looking forward as well as back, this module also asks about the future of international energy, emphasizing the development of renewables, the shale gas revolution, and collapse in support for nuclear.

Pol Sci 4896 (801) Contentious Politics and Social Movements

This seminar examines how ordinary citizens attempt to influence political decision-making in national and global politics. Citizens may organize street demonstrations, join political strikes, occupy buildings, and start hunger strikes. They also can use more contentious and violent forms of protest and resistance such as insurgencies and armed rebellions. In this seminar, students will study different modes of protest, passive or active, collective or individual, through a discussion of theories of contentious politics and social movements. Students will be exposed to various case studies ranging from revolutions in the 20th century to the Arab Spring in the 21st century. By the end of the semester, students will write a research paper on a specific case of contentious politics or social movements.

Psych 3620 (801) Clinical Sexology in the Japanese Context

This course introduces the topic of clinical sexology offering discussion about various sexuality phenomena, which shape the contemporary Japanese society. Modern Japan is facing dramatic changes regarding sexual expressions, gender roles and expectations, as well as sexual behaviors, which challenge the time-honored stereotypes about feminine and masculine sexuality in Japan. This course also offers a comprehensive analysis of Japanese sexuality from clinical, psychological, social and cultural perspective, and it introduces cross-cultural models of clinical interventions, applicable in the Japanese context. In addition, the clinical and counseling tools applicable in cross-cultural sexology will be discussed in order to offer the students an opportunity to enrich their psychological studies.

Psych 4696 (801) The Self

“Self” is an important aspect of our consciousness and although most of us realize this, we question what it is, where it’s located, and what it does. In this course, students will explore how “self” is currently defined across fields of psychology and psychological perspectives, such as the psychodynamic, humanistic and neuroscience perspectives, to name a few. Students will also consider theory and research evidence on when and how “self” develops. Lastly, students will explore various problems associated with disrupted sense of “self” In this seminar course students will be responsible for discussing readings and at the end of the term give a presentation on their Capstone Paper, which will be an in-depth theoretical analysis or empirical research proposal on some aspect of self.