Contemporary Japan I
HUM-444 / 3 credits
Teacher: Vogel Chevroulet Irène Elizabeth
Language: English
Remark: Une seule inscription à un cours SHS+MGT autorisée. En cas d'inscriptions multiples elles seront toutes supprimées sans notification.
Summary
Introduction into the culture of Japan - its thought and way of life - designed to foster future study of the archipelago. We elucidate the specificities of a Japanese identity that is imbued with both tradition and openness to innovation, to create sustainability - society, economy, environment.
Content
Culture and thought for sustainability as mirrored in cinema and anime
Specifics in four parts
Do The Way
Keys of understanding: Japanese society after the opening of Japan to the West at the end of the 19th century.
Spirituality and martial arts: Akira Kurosawa's film Judo Saga (Sanshiro Sugata) 1943
Introduction to Zen: traditional as in Japanese temples and in a contemporary global context.
Professional and private life
Several reflections on the lives of women and men from the postwar period to the present day
Examples of arranged marriage Yasujiro Ozu's film Banshun (Late Spring) 1949
Communication through a third party
First examination: written answer to one thematic among five
Cool Japan - Aging Japan: innovation and ethics
Animé and science fiction: Osamu Tezuka
From Hiroshima to Fukushima: questioning ethics in a nuclear context
Visualizing dreams: Satoshi Kon's animé Paprika 2006
Contemporary Japan
From technological visions to reality: Soul in Japanese robotics, by Raphaël Holzer
Nature, nurture, Shinto as a social reinvigorator: Naomi Kawase's film An (Sweet bean) 2016
Synthesis
Second examination: research plan for the spring semester (individual or as a group)
Keywords
Sustainability, interculturality, Do, Shinto, Zen, arts, communication, robotics, food, nurture, innovation, ethics, cinema, anime
POLY-perspective :
- interdisciplinary perspective
- creative perspective
https://www.epfl.ch/schools/cdh/cdhs-vision/
Learning Prerequisites
Recommended courses
Japon Contemporain A BA5
Histoire de l'Asie contemporaine A BA3
Histoire de l'Asie contemporaine B BA6
Chine Contemporaine BA4
Economie de la Chine BA5
Chine: une nouvelle puissance globale? BA6
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, the student must be able to:
- Develop a critical methodology for studying ethnocentric thinking
- Interpret cultural stereotypes attached to Japan (spirituality, gender, arts)
- Develop an intellectual argument on a proposition relevant to the course
- Synthesize the array of knowledge necessary to have a good understanding of social integration in Japan
- Synthesize the contributions of contemporary Japan (innovation, work ethics, spirituality, robotics, arts, architecture, gardens, food)
- Compose or write a paper
- Use a work methodology appropriate to the task
Transversal skills
- Take responsibility for environmental impacts of her/ his actions and decisions.
- Communicate effectively, being understood, including across different languages and cultures.
- Communicate effectively with professionals from other disciplines.
- Demonstrate the capacity for critical thinking
- Take account of the social and human dimensions of the engineering profession.
Teaching methods
Fall semester: lecture and visiting speakers + supervision (English/French) of the elaboration of a research plan
Spring semester: supervision of research, mini-colloquium, a paper sample will be furnished to students
Expected student activities
Elaboration of a group research plan, active participation, critical lecture of articles and books, working discipline and time management, writing skills
- Fall semester: individual written examination, research plan (two pages: title, issue, detailed plan, bibliography)
- Spring semester: abstract (250 words), participation to a mini-colloquium, paper (4000 words)
Assessment methods
Fall semester: written examination (50%), quality of the research plan (50%)
Spring semester: oral presentation at the mini-colloquium (50%), paper (50%)
Supervision
| Office hours | Yes |
| Assistants | Yes |
| Forum | No |
Resources
Bibliography
Bibliography will be furnished (see below), plus specialized resources on the moodle
Yoshio Sugimoto An introduction to Japanese Society Cambridge Press 2021
Ayako Kano Japanese Feminist Debates Hawaï Press 2016
Yoshiko Okuyama Japanese mythology in film: a semiotic approach to reading film and anime Lexington Books 2016
Satoshi Kon Dream Fossil: The complete stories of Satoshi Kon Vertical Comics Edition 2015
Kenzaburo Ôé Teach us to outgrow our madness: four short novels Grove Atlantic 2011
John W. Dover Embracing defeat Japan in the wake of World War II WW Norton & Company 1999
Ressources en bibliothèque
- Yoshiko Okuyama Japanese mythology in film
- Satoshi Kon Dream Fossil
- Kenzaburo Ôé Teach us to outgrow our madness
- Ayako Kano Japanese Feminist Debates
- Yoshio Sugimoto An introduction to Japanese Society
- John W. Dover Embracing defeat Japan in the wake of World War II
Moodle Link
In the programs
- Semester: Fall
- Number of places: 50
- Exam form: During the semester (winter session)
- Subject examined: Contemporary Japan I
- Lecture: 2 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
- Project: 1 Hour(s) per week x 14 weeks
- Type: mandatory