Sociology Anthropology 231-01: Peoples and Cultures of Japan
Instructor: David McConnell Office/Phone: Kauke 12, ext. 2476 Office Hrs: MWF 2-4; and by appointment Course Objectives: Japan has completed a remarkable turnaround since its defeat in World War II to emerge as a central player in the world economic system in the 1980s and 1990s. The influence of Japan's multinational companies is unprecedented, and many - Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi, Toyota, Honda, etc. - are now household words in the U.S. Yet Western understanding of Japanese history and culture is still woefully inadequate. This course provides an introduction to Japanese culture and society through an analysis of key institutions in contemporary Japan: education, the company, the family, the bureaucracy, religion, the political system, and the economy. The goal throughout the course will be to discern cultural patterns and forms of social organization that are distinctively Japanese. At the same time, we will strive to recognize the considerable diversity, conflict and social complexity that exists within Japan today. Special attention will be given to the role of women and minorities in Japan and to Japan's place in the world economic system. Required Readings: Course participants will read the following books in entirety or in major part. All books are on sale at the bookstore. In addition, a number of shorter articles will be on reserve at the library.
Optional Book:
The readings for this course are weighted towards first-hand field studies and have been chosen because of the vividness of the primary data, the importance of the topics and the analytic perspectives of authors deeply knowledgeable about Japan. Hopefully, the depth of primary data acquired will allow each of you to draw your own interpretations about Japan. Class Schedule and Format: The class meets three times a week (MWF at 11:00 a.m.) in Kauke 02. Regular attendance and active participation in class is expected. The format will include a mixture of lectures, class discussion, student presentations, guest speakers and audio-visuals. In some cases, the lectures and discussion will be relatively independent of the day's readings; in other cases, we will attempt to clarify or elaborate directly on the readings. Written Requirements and Grading: 1. There will be two unit exams that cover the lectures, readings, discussion and films. Both exams will consist of objective, short answer and short essay questions, and each will count as 15% of your final grade. In addition, there will be a final essay exam which asks you to synthesize material from the entire course. The final exam will be worth 15% of your final grade. 2. There will be two short papers. Each paper will count as 10% of your final grade. The first paper will ask you to choose a social or occupational group in Japan and to write an "ethnographic briefing" on the cultural knowledge one would need to know in order to successfully integrate into that group as a fully functioning member. The paper should include both relevant cultural and historical knowledge as well as a description of what a day in the life of a member of that group might be like. Groups that students may choose include: the mafia, teenagers, sumo wrestlers, government ministry bureaucrats, female factory workers, A-bomb victims, Self-Defense Force personnel, public bath operators, teacher's union activist, doctors, lawyers, etc. -- the list is virtually endless. The second paper will ask you to watch a full-length Japanese movie and to write a critical review of the movie that draws on themes and readings from the course. Possible movies include A Taxing Woman, Family Game, The Funeral, Okoge andTanpopo. Hollywood movies that depict Japan, such as Gung-Ho or Rising Sun, are also possible candidates. More information on each of these assignments will be distributed at a later date. Late papers will be dropped one letter grade. 3. Since this is a seminar, class participation and attendance are absolutely essential. Students are expected to complete the assigned reading on time and to be prepared to discuss them in class. A series of short unannounced quizzes will serve as a check on assigned readings. These quizzes will count as 10% of your final grade. Class participation will also count as 10% of your final grade. More than two unexcused absences will lower this portion of your grade. 4. All students will be responsible for participating in a "media watch". Each week one student will be responsible for presenting an oral summary of key articles and issues in The Japan Times Weekly International Edition and presenting them to the rest of the class. Though these presentations will not be graded per se, they will contribute toward your overall class participation grade. 5. Each student will complete an 8-10 pp. individual research paper on a topic of interest. This paper will involve library research and the culling of a variety of sources on your chosen topic. Each paper must have a specific research question that it attempts to answer. I will be available to meet with individual students to discuss your paper topics. Week Fourteen of the course will be devoted entirely to student presentations of your research findings. A list of possible topics will be distributed at a later date. In consultation with the instructor, you may also choose a topic not on the list. In sum, your final grade will be based on:
Dates to Remember: M 9/29 1st short paper due W 10/8 Exam 1 M 11/10 2nd short paper due W 11/19 Exam 2 MWF 12/1-12/5 Student presentations F 12/5 Research papers due W 12/17 Final exam due Course Schedule and Assignments: Week One M 9/1 Course overview and introductions W 9/3 Ecological context and language Read: 1) Reischauer, The Japanese Today, Chapter 38 (handout) 2) Stanlaw, "For Beautiful Human Life: The Use of English in Japan" (#3 in RMJ) F 9/5 Historical overview Read: Hendry, Understanding Japanese Society, Intro and Chapter 1 Week Two M 9/8 Core cultural values Read: 1) Lebra, "Social Relativism as the Japanese Ethos" (handout); 2) Hall and Hall, "The Vocabulary of Human Relationships in Japan" (#6 in JB) 3) Befu, "Gift-Giving in a Modernizing Japan" (#7 in JB) W 9/10 The traditional stem family (ie) in rural Japan Read: 1) Hendry, Understanding Japanese Society, Chapter 2 2) Bernstein, Haruko's World, Intro and Chapters 1-3 F 9/12 Gender and work in farm families: Film: As Iwate Goes (30 minutes) Read: 1) Bernstein, Haruko's World, Chapters 4-6 Week Three M 9/15 Community and conflict in rural Japan Read: Bernstein, Haruko's World, Chapters 7-10 W 9/17 The implications of affluence Read: 1) Bernstein, Haruko's World, Chapters 11-13 and "Bessho " "Revisited" 2) Kelly, "Tractors, Televisions and Telephones: Reach Out and Touch Someone in Rural Japan" (#4 in RMJ) F 9/19 Urban neighborhoods and the re-creation of tradition Read: Bestor, Neighborhood Tokyo, Chapter One (on reserve) Week Four M 9/22 Growing up Japanese: Socialization in the home Read: 1) Hendry, Understanding Japanese Society, Chapter 3 2) Peak, Learning to Go to School in Japan, Preface & pp. 1-42 W 9/24 Growing up Japanese: The transition to preschool Read: 1) Peak, Learning to Go to School in Japan, pp. 45-97 2) Lewis, "Fostering social and intellectual development: the roots of Japanese educational success" (on reserve or pp. 79-97 in TLJ). F 9/26 Social belonging in the early grades Read: 1) Peak, Learning to Go to School in Japan, pp. 101-142 2) Kotloff, "...And Tomoko wrote this song for us" (on reserve or pp. 98-118 in TLJ) Week Five M 9/29 Academic achievement in Japanese schools Read: 1) Peak, Learning to Go to School in Japan, pp. 145-191 2) Lee, Graham and Stevenson, "Teachers and teaching" (on reserve or pp. 157-189 in TLJ) M 9/29 PAPER #1 DUE IN CLASS W 10/1 Student guidance and learning in middle schools Read: 1) LeTendre, "Shido: the concept of guidance" (on reserve or pp. 275-294 in TLJ) 2) Hori, "Teaching and learning in the Rinzai Zen monastery" (on reserve or pp. 20-49 in TLJ) F 10/3 Exam hell and the academic hierarchy in high schools Film: The Human Face of Japan: The Career Escalator (30 minutes) Read: Amano, "The Dilemma of Japanese Education Today" (on reserve) Week Six M 10/6 Higher education Read: Kitamura, "The Future of Japanese Higher Education" (reserve) W 10/8 EXAM 1 F 10/10 Rites of passage: Weddings Read: Edwards, Modern Japan Through Its Weddings, Ch. 3 (reserve) FALL BREAK (10/11-10/14) Week Seven W 10/15 Rites of passage: Funerals and ancestor worship Read: 1) Hendry, Understanding Japanese Society, Chapters 7 and 8 2) Saphir, "New Religions in Japan: Seeking the Way" (handout) F 10/17 Japanese culture through sports Read: 1) Whiting, "You Gotta Have Wa" (handout) 2) Reid, "Standing Tall" (handout) Week Eight M 10/20 Japanese culture through food: Guest speaker Read: tba W 10/22 Gender roles in urban Japan: Myths and realities Read: Smith, "Gender Inequality in Contemporary Japan" (on reserve) F 10/24 Women in the work force Read: 1) Lansing and Ready, "Hiring Women Managers in Japan" (#15 in JB) 2) Lebra, "Occupational Careers" (on reserve) Week Nine M 10/27 Politics and government Read: 1) Hendry, Understanding Japanese Society, Chapter 11 2) Johnson, "The Institutional Foundations of Japanese Industrial Policy" (#9 in JB) W 10/29 The bureaucratic model and social control Read: 1) Hendry, Understanding Japanese Society, Chapter 12 2) Miyazawa, Straightjacket Society, Chs. 1 and 2 (on reserve) F 10/31 Japanese companies: The historical and cultural context Film: The Pacific Century: Inside Japan, Inc. Read: 1) Hendry, Understanding Japanese Society, Chapter 9 2) Cusumano, "Manufacturing Innovation: Lessons from the Japanese Auto Industry" (#19 in JB) Week Ten M 11/3 Japanese companies: Myths and realities Read: 1) Tobioka, "Japan's Matrix of Nature, Culture and Technology" (#2 in JB) 2) Durlabhji, "The Influence of Confucianism and Zen on the Japanese Organization" (#4 in JB) W 11/5 Interpersonal relations in Japanese business Read: 1) Otsubo, "A Guide to Japanese Business Practices" (#13 in JB) 2) Befu, "An Ethnography of Dinner Entertainment in Japan (#8 in JB) F 11/7 Continuities and changes in Japanese company policies Read: 1) Mroczkowski and Hanaoka, "Continuity and change in Japanese Management" (#16 in JB) 2) Johansson and Nonaka, "Market Research the Japanese Way" (#17 in JB) 3) Czinkota, "Distribution in Japan: Problems and Changes" (#18 in JB) Week Eleven M 11/10 Western forms, Japanese meanings: Film: The Japanese Version Read: 1) Tobin, "Introduction: Domesticating the West" (#1 in RMJ) 2) Creighton, "The Depato: Merchandising the West While Selling Japaneseness" (#2 in RMJ) M 11/10 PAPER #2 DUE IN CLASS W 11/12 Consumption Read: 1) Rosenberger, "Images of the West: Home Style in Japanese Magazines" (#6 in RMJ) 2) Brannen, "'Bwana Mickey': Constructing Cultural Consumption at Tokyo Disneyland" (#12 in RMJ) F 11/14 Drinking and leisure Read: 1) Clark, "The Japanese Bath: Extraordinarily Ordinary" (#5 in RMJ) 2) Smith, "Drinking Patterns in a Changing Beverage Market" (#8 in RMJ) 3) Nitta, "Shopping for Souvenirs in Hawaii" (#11 in RMJ) Week Twelve M 11/17 On the margins of Japanese society Read: 1) Savigliano, "Tango in Japan and the World Economy of Passion" (#13 in RMJ) 2) Bethel, "Alienation and Reconnection in a Home for the Elderly" (#7 in RMJ) W 11/19 EXAM 2 F 11/21 Japanese perceptions of the ethnic Other: Film: Struggle and Success: The African-American Experience in Japan Read: Russell, "Race and Reflexivity: The Black Other in Contemporary Japanese Mass Culture" (on reserve) Week Thirteen M 11/24 The JET Program as a case study of Japan's internationalization Read: McConnell, "Education as a Vehicle for Global Integration" (on reserve) Thanksgiving Break (11/25-11/30) Week Fourteen M 12/1 Student presentations W 12/3 Student presentations F 12/5 Student presentations F 12/5 RESEARCH PAPERS DUE IN CLASS Week Fifteen M 12/8 Medicine and culture in Japan Read: Lock, "The Politics of Mid-Life and Menopause: Ideologies for the Second Sex in North America and Japan" (reserve) W 12/10 Japanese industry in the U.S. Read: Kim, Japanese Industry in the American South, Chapter 3 (on reserve) F 12/12 US-Japan trade friction: Assessing the revisionist argument Read: Fallows, "Containing Japan" (on reserve) FINAL EXAM Due Wednesday, December 17th
Last updated: Sept. 5, 1997