Japanese (JPN) College of Letters & Science

JPN 001 — Elementary Japanese (5 units)

Course Description: Introduction to spoken and written Japanese in cultural contexts, with emphasis on communication.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 5 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 001A — Accelerated Intensive Elementary Japanese (15 units)

Course Description: Special 12-week accelerated, intensive summer session course that combines the work of JPN 001, JPN 002 and JPN 003. Introduction to Japanese grammar and development of all language skills in a cultural context with emphasis on communication.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 15 hour(s).
  • Credit Limitation(s): not open for credit to students who have completed JPN 001, JPN 002, or JPN 003.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 001AS — Intensive Elementary Japanese (15 units)

Course Description: Intensive course taught combining the work of JPN 001, JPN 002 and JPN 003. Introduction to Japanese grammar and development of all language skills in a cultural context with emphasis on communication. Taught abroad in Japan.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 15 hour(s).
  • Credit Limitation(s): Not open for credit to students who have taken JPN 001, JPN 002, or JPN 003.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 002 — Elementary Japanese (5 units)

Course Description: Continuation of training in basic Japanese spoken and written skills.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 001 C- or better; or the equivalent language proficiency.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 5 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 003 — Elementary Japanese (5 units)

Course Description: Continuation of training in basic spoken and written skills in Japanese language. May be taught abroad.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 002 C- or better; or the equivalent language proficiency.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 5 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 004 — Intermediate Japanese (5 units)

Course Description: Intermediate-level training in spoken and written Japanese in cultural context, based on language skills developed in JPN 003.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 003 C- or better; or the equivalent language proficiency.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 5 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 005 — Intermediate Japanese (5 units)

Course Description: Intermediate-level training in spoken and written Japanese in cultural context, based on language skills developed in JPN 004.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 004 C- or better; or the equivalent language proficiency.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 5 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 006 — Intermediate Japanese (5 units)

Course Description: Intermediate-level training in spoken and written Japanese in cultural context, based on language skills developed in JPN 005. May be taught abroad.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 005 C- or better; or the equivalent language proficiency.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 5 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 007S — Intensive Intermediate Japanese (20 units)

Course Description: Special intensive course that combines the work of JPN 003, JPN 004, JPN 005, and JPN 006. Introduction to Japanese grammar and development of all language skills in a cultural context with emphasis on communication. Taught abroad in Japan.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 002 C- or better; or the equivalent language proficiency. consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 20 hour(s).
  • Credit Limitation(s): Credit limit may apply to students who have taken JPN 003, 004, 005, or 006.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 010 — Masterworks of Japanese Literature (in English) (4 units)

Course Description: Introduction to Japanese literature: readings and discussion in English of important works from earliest times to the present.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 015S — Introduction to Japanese Culture (2 units)

Course Description: Aspects of Japanese culture: literature, history, religion, art, language, and society. Taught abroad in Japan; in English.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 2 hour(s), Fieldwork.
  • Enrollment Restriction(s): Restricted to students enrolled in units for the Kyoto Quarter Abroad program.
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 025 — Japanese Language & Culture (in English) (4 units)

Course Description: Classification and communication of experience in Japanese culture; principles of language use in Japanese society. Speech levels and honorific language, language and gender, minority languages, literacy. Role of Japanese in artificial intelligence and computer science.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 001 or LIN 001 or ANT 004 recommended.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 031 — Basic Kanji (4 units)

Course Description: Introduction and mastery of 300 basic Kanji or Chinese characters to establish a solid foundation in the novel and complex Kanji encountered while learning Japanese.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 001 C- or better; or consent of instructor, or equivalent proficiency of basic writing system (Hiragana and Katakana).

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Enrollment Restriction(s): Restricted to students who have never been exposed to any form of Kanji or Chinese characters before; students who have completed schooling up to the 6th grade in the Japanese education system or equivalent or whose native languages have Chinese character orthography are not allowed to register.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 050 — Introduction to the Literature of China & Japan (4 units)

Course Description: Methods of literary analysis and their application to major works from the various genres of Chinese and Japanese literature (in translation), including film. East Asian cultural traditions will also be introduced.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Cross Listing: CHN 050.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 098 — Directed Group Study (1-5 units)

Course Description: Directed group study.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Variable.
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH).

JPN 099 — Special Study for Undergraduates (1-5 units)

Course Description: Special study for undergraduates.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Variable.
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.

JPN 101 — Japanese Literature in Translation: The Early Period (4 units)

Course Description: Study of early Japanese literature from the Nara to the end of the Heian period through a broad survey of the major literary genres such as lyric poetry, court diaries, prose narratives, poem-tales, and classical Chinese writings.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 3 hour(s), Discussion 1 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 102 — Japanese Literature in Translation: The Middle Period (4 units)

Course Description: Study of the major literary genres from the 12th century to the second half of the 19th century including poetry, linked-verse, military chronicles, no drama, Buddhist literature, haiku, haibun, kabuki, bunraku, plays and Edo prose narratives.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 103 — Japanese Literature in Translation: The Modern Period (4 units)

Course Description: Modern Japanese literature from the late 19th century to the present with focus on the concept of modernity; in addition to the study of authors and genres, examines historical and cultural contexts. Lectures, readings and discussions in English.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 104 — Modern Japanese Literature: War & Revolution (3 units)

Course Description: Perspectives and sensibilities with which major modern Japanese writers have interpreted the traumatic and often poignant experiences of war and socio-political upheavals from the late 19th century to the 1970s. Lectures, discussions, and readings in English.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 3 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 105 — Modern Japanese Literature: Hero & Anti-Hero (4 units)

Course Description: Ways in which representative hero and anti-hero protagonists in modern Japanese literature perceive, confront, challenge, and resolve a wide array of social, political, and moral problems of their times. Taught in English.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 106 — Japanese Culture Through Film (4 units)

Course Description: Aspects of Japanese culture such as love, sexuality, war, the military, the family, the position of women, growing up and death as portrayed in Japanese cinema. Lectures, discussion, and readings in English. Films with English subtitles.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 3 hour(s), Film Viewing 3 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); Visual Literacy (VL); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 107 — Modern Japanese Autobiographies (in English) (4 units)

Course Description: Exploring the modern and contemporary Japanese social and cultural landscape through critical analysis of modern Japanese autobiographies by prominent and other authors in the 19th and 20th centuries.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 3 hour(s), Term Paper, Discussion 1 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 108 — Poetry of China & Japan (in English) (4 units)

Course Description: A comparative approach to Chinese and Japanese poetry, examining poetic practice in the two cultures; includes a general outline of the two traditions, plus study of poetic forms, techniques, and distinct treatments of universal themes: love, nature, war, etc.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 3 hour(s), Discussion 1 hour(s).
  • Cross Listing: CHN 108.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 109 — Japanese Popular Culture (4 units)

Course Description: Japanese popular culture, from its development during the early modern period to contemporary incarnations. Emphasis on major forms of popular culture that emerged in the 20th century, including manga, anime, and genre film.

  • Learning Activities: Film Viewing 3 hour(s), Lecture/Discussion 3 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Visual Literacy (VL); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 111 — Modern Japanese: Reading & Discussion (4 units)

Course Description: Readings in modern Japanese short stories, newspaper articles, and essays; conversation practice based on these readings.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 006 C- or better; or the equivalent language proficiency.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 112 — Modern Japanese: Reading & Discussion (4 units)

Course Description: Continuation of JPN 111.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 111 C- or better; or the equivalent language proficiency.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 113 — Modern Japanese: Reading & Discussion (4 units)

Course Description: Continuation of JPN 112. May be taught abroad.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 112 C- or better; or the equivalent language proficiency.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 114A — Spoken Japanese (2 units)

Course Description: Training in spoken Japanese for students with a basic working knowledge of the language. May be taught abroad.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Discussion 2 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.
  • General Education: Oral Skills (OL).

JPN 114B — Spoken Japanese (2 units)

Course Description: Continuation of JPN 114A. Training in spoken Japanese for students with a basic working knowledge of the language. May be taught abroad.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 114A C- or better; or consent of instructor, or equivalent language proficiency.

  • Learning Activities: Discussion 2 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.
  • General Education: Oral Skills (OL).

JPN 114C — Spoken Japanese (2 units)

Course Description: Continuation of JPN 114B. Training in spoken Japanese for students with a basic working knowledge of the language. May be taught abroad.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 114B C- or better; or consent of instructor, or equivalent language proficiency.

  • Learning Activities: Discussion 2 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.
  • General Education: Oral Skills (OL).

JPN 115 — Japanese Composition (2 units)

Course Description: Development of skills in the techniques of writing Japanese. Practice in short essay writing with an aim toward mastery of the vocabulary and syntax of written style Japanese.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 006 C- or better; or consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 2 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.

JPN 116 — Culture & History in Kyoto (8 units)

Course Description: Intensive course exploring the historical and cultural riches in Kyoto and its environs. May be taught abroad on-site in and around Kyoto, Japan.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 3 hour(s), Fieldwork.
  • Enrollment Restriction(s): Limited to students enrolled in the corresponding Quarter Abroad program.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 117S — Intensive Modern Japanese: Reading & Discussion (17 units)

Course Description: Introduction to basic Japanese grammar and development of more advanced reading, writing, and conversation skills in a cultural context. Combination of JPN 006, JPN 111, JPN 112, JPN 113; intensively taught abroad in Japan.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 005 C- or better; or consent of instructor, or the equivalent language proficiency.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 17 hour(s).
  • Credit Limitation(s): Not open to students who have taken JPN 006, JPN 111, JPN 112, or JPN 113; an exception can be made for students who have taken JPN 006 or its equivalent, provided that those 5 units are deducted from the 19 total unit load.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 121 — Advanced Japanese I (4 units)

Course Description: First of three courses in a series of fourth-year Advanced Japanese which focuses on the levels of formality or politeness in conversation as well as socio-cultural aspects and topics in Japanese society.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 113 C- or better; or consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 122 — Advanced Japanese II (4 units)

Course Description: Second of three courses in a series of fourth-year Advanced Japanese which focuses on the levels of formality or politeness in conversation as well as socio-cultural aspects and topics in Japanese society.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 121 C- or better; or consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 123 — Advanced Japanese III (4 units)

Course Description: Third of three courses in a series of fourth-year Advanced Japanese which focuses on the levels of formality or politeness in conversation as well as socio-cultural aspects and topics in Japanese society.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 122 C- or better; or consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Oral Skills (OL); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 130 — Readings in Modern Japanese Literature to 1926 (4 units)

Course Description: Short stories and essays by Japanese writers of the Meiji and Taishô eras, from 1868 to 1926. Authors include Natsume Sôseki, Izumi Kyôka, Tanizaki Jun'ichirô and Akutagawa Ryûnosuke. Readings and discussion in Japanese with some emphasis on translation into English.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 113; or equivalent language proficiency, or consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Enrollment Restriction(s): Restricted to completion of JPN 113 or equivalent as determined by taking a placement exam or consent of instructor.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 131 — Readings in Modern Japanese Literature: 1920-1945 (4 units)

Course Description: Fourth-year level reading of representative works of modern Japanese literature including short stories, novellas, diaries, memoirs, poetry and excerpts from novels and plays from 1920 through the militaristic era, to the end of the war years in 1945.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 113; or equivalent language proficiency, or consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 3 hour(s), Discussion 1 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH).

JPN 132 — Readings in Modern Japanese Literature: 1945-1970 (4 units)

Course Description: Continuation of JPN 131, but may be taken independently. Covers selected texts from the immediate post-war years beginning in 1945 down to 1970 and the post-war recovery.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 113; or equivalent language proficiency, or consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 3 hour(s), Discussion 1 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH).

JPN 133 — Readings in Modern Japanese Literature: 1970-Present (4 units)

Course Description: Fourth-year level reading in Japanese of fiction, essays and works drawn from other literary genres published since 1970.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 113; or equivalent language proficiency, or consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 134 — Readings in the Humanities: Traditional Culture (4 units)

Course Description: Fourth-year level reading of modern works by major specialists on traditional Japanese culture: history, religion, thought, art, international relations, and literary history and criticism. Focus is equally on developing reading skills and learning about Japanese culture.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 113 C- or better; or equivalent language proficiency, or consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 135 — Readings in the Humanities: The Modern Period (4 units)

Course Description: Fourth-year level reading of authentic modern writings on Japanese culture, history, philosophy, society, religion, law, politics, international relations, aesthetics, and comparative culture by prominent critics, commentators, and scholars.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 113; or equivalent language proficiency, or consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture 3 hour(s), Term Paper.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 136 — Readings in Japanese Newspapers (4 units)

Course Description: Fourth-year level reading of newspaper articles and other journalism in Japanese on a wide variety of subjects.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 113; or equivalent language proficiency, or consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Repeat Credit: May be repeated 2 time(s) when content differs.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 137 — Readings in Contemporary Japanese Literature (4 units)

Course Description: Readings of short stories and essays by contemporary writers. Representative writers include Yoshimoto Banana, Otsuichi, Suzuki Koji, Kyogoku Natsuhiko, Ogawa Yoko, and Murakami Haruki. Readings and discussion in Japanese with some emphasis on translation into English.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 113; or equivalent language proficiency, or consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 138 — Readings in the Humanities: Japan Today (4 units)

Course Description: Topical essays focused on contemporary Japan. Themes center on defining Japan today in terms of its future and past such as through its urban society, trends in architecture, "soft power" industries, and "traditional" elements as mainstays of Japan's cultural currency.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 113; or equivalent language proficiency, or consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Enrollment Restriction(s): Restricted to completion of JPN 113 or equivalent as determined by taking a placement exam or consent of instructor.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 141 — Introduction to Classical Japanese (4 units)

Course Description: Basic features of classical Japanese grammar through careful reading of selected literary texts such as Hojoki or Tsurezuregusa.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 113; or the equivalent language proficiency.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.

JPN 151 — Japanese Linguistics (4 units)

Course Description: Introduction to Japanese linguistics, featuring key aspects of the Japanese language. Analysis of Japanese from the perspectives of phonology, syntax, discourse analysis, sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 003; or equivalent language proficiency.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 152 — Traditional Japanese Drama (4 units)

Course Description: Survey in English of Japanese drama, focusing on traditional forms: noh, kyôgen, bunraku puppet theater, and kabuki, with some attention to modern theater. Texts of plays and secondary works on performance techniques and the composition of plays.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Visual Literacy (VL); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 153 — Love, Sexuality & the Family in Modern Japanese Literature (4 units)

Course Description: Modern Japanese literature from the late-19th century to the present with a focus on love and sexuality in various forms, particularly as understood through the evolving institution of the Japanese family. Lectures, readings and discussions in English.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 154 — Tourism & Heritage in Japan (4 units)

Course Description: Focus on related concepts of tourism and cultural heritage within Japan, with attention to questions of tradition, authenticity and nostalgia. Examination of cultural heritage sites on various scales, including built environment, national cultural forms, and local performances such as festivals.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 155 — Introduction to Japanese Folklore (4 units)

Course Description: Focus on narrative genres of myth, legend, and folktale, with additional attention paid to festivals, folk art, belief systems, and the development of folklore studies (minzokugaku) as an academic discipline. Examination of the relationship of folklore to ethnic and national identity.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 156 — Japanese Literature on Film (4 units)

Course Description: Survey of films based on works of Japanese literature, emphasis on pre-modern and early modern texts. Introduction to major directors of Japan, with a focus on cinematic adaptation. Lectures and readings in English. Films in Japanese with English subtitles.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 3 hour(s), Film Viewing 3 hour(s).
  • Cross Listing: CTS 148B.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Visual Literacy (VL); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 157 — Japanese Women Writers (4 units)

Course Description: Survey of women writers from earliest times to the present. Genres include poetry, narrative fiction, diaries, short stories, novels, and film. Representative authors include Murasaki Shikibu, Sei Shônagon, Higuchi Ichiyo, Enchi Fumiko and Ogawa Yôko. Readings and discussion in English.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 158 — The Supernatural in Japan (4 units)

Course Description: Depictions of the supernatural in Japanese history through the contemporary era. Overview of Japanese literary and visual arts and the socio-historical contexts of the supernatural. Lectures and readings in English. Films in Japanese with English subtitles.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 3 hour(s), Film Viewing 3 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Visual Literacy (VL); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 159 — The “Other” in Modern Japanese Literature & Culture (4 units)

Course Description: Modern Japanese literature and culture from the late 19th century to the present with focus on the concept of the “Other;” those seen as minorities (race, ethnicity, sexuality) or somehow different from mainstream society. Lectures, readings and discussions in English.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 160 — The Culture of Japanese Food (4 units)

Course Description: Study of Japanese food and the culture of eating and drinking in Japan. Attention to symbolism, historical development, aesthetics, identity and global contexts. Materials examined include critical sources as well as literary texts, art, and films.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH) or Social Sciences (SS); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 162 — Japan Travelogue: Ethnographic Writing on Japanese Culture & People (4 units)

Course Description: Focuses on ethnographic writing about Japan. Includes modern scholarly ethnographies, travel writing, blog posts, etc. Critical analysis of how the Japanese “other” is represented across time.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 164 — Japanese Cinema (4 units)

Course Description: Introduction to Japanese cinema from early silent films to the present. Explores important directors, genres, stars, themes and techniques in relation to specific historical and cultural contexts. Lectures and readings in English. Films in Japanese with English subtitles.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor, or upper-division standing.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 3 hour(s), Film Viewing 3 hour(s).
  • Cross Listing: COM 112.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); Visual Literacy (VL); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).
  • This course version is effective from, and including: Winter Quarter 2024.

JPN 165 — Sexuality & Love in Premodern Japanese Literature (4 units)

Course Description: Love and eros in opposite-sex, same-sex, marital, premarital, extramarital, commercial and “amateur” modes and in aristocratic, samurai and commoner milieus as reflected in works of literature produced in Japan between the 700s and 1867. Readings, lectures and discussions in English.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 167 — The Meaning of Life in Japanese Literature (4 units)

Course Description: The meaning of life through analysis of short stories, novellas, manga and film. The arc of self discovery in the face of cultural norms and social expectations. Readings and discussions in English.

  • Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).
  • This course version is effective from, and including: Fall Quarter 2023.

JPN 192 — Japanese Internship (1-12 units)

Course Description: Work experience in Japanese language, with analytical term paper on a topic approved by instructor.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Internship 3-36 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.

JPN 194H — Special Thesis Honors Project (1-5 units)

Course Description: Guided research, under the direction of a senate faculty member, leading to a senior thesis project on a topic in Japanese literature, culture, linguistics, or language studies.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor; senior standing and qualification for the Japanese Senior Thesis Project.

  • Learning Activities: Independent Study 3-15 hour(s).
  • Repeat Credit: May be repeated 8 unit(s).
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC); Writing Experience (WE).

JPN 197T — Tutoring in Japanese (1-5 units)

Course Description: Leading of small voluntary discussion groups affiliated with one of the Program's regular courses.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of Department Chairperson.

  • Learning Activities: Tutorial 1-5 hour(s).
  • Repeat Credit: May be repeated.
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.

JPN 198 — Directed Group Study (1-5 units)

Course Description: Directed group study.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Variable.
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 199 — Special Study for Advanced Undergraduates (1-5 units)

Course Description: Special study for advanced undergraduates.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Variable.
  • Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass only.
  • General Education: Arts & Humanities (AH); World Cultures (WC).

JPN 291 — Seminar in Modern Japanese Literature: Major Writers (4 units)

Course Description: In-depth reading and critical analyses of major works by and critical literature on one or two prominent modern or contemporary writers such as Natsume Soseki, Mori Ogai, Shimazaki Toson, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Tanizaki Junichiro, Abe Kobo and Oe Kenzaburo.

Prerequisite(s): JPN 130 or JPN 131 or JPN 132 or JPN 133 or JPN 134 or JPN 135 or JPN 136 or JPN 137 or JPN 138; or the equivalent language proficiency.

  • Learning Activities: Seminar 4 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Letter.

JPN 297 — Directed Independent Study (4 units)

Course Description: Directed independent study on a topic culminating in a term paper. Independent Studies may only be arranged with consent of the instructor and when graduate seminars are unavailable.

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Conference 1 hour(s), Term Paper, Independent Study.
  • Enrollment Restriction(s): Restricted to graduate students.
  • Repeat Credit: May be repeated 5 time(s) when no seminars are available and topic differs.
  • Grade Mode: Letter.

JPN 299 — Research (1-12 units)

Course Description: Description:

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

  • Learning Activities: Variable 3-36 hour(s).
  • Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only.