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Japanese Film and Japan in Film: Cultural Constructions in Cinema
ALIT223 SP
Crosslistings: EAST238
This course is designed to introduce students to a selection of 1) Japanese films which present particular representations of "Japan" as a cultural entity, and 2) films made elsewhere which depict "Japan" in specific,
often conflicting ways. We will
compare these representations of "Japan" within Japan and overseas, and will attempt to challege assumptions about "culture" and "identity." In the first ten weeks of the semester, we will study films "made in Japan"
that is, those which are written,
directed and produced in Japan. We will look at how they present "Japanese culture" in different ways: as one which is rooted in an "exotic past," as a "modern" nation with "modern" problems, or as an international
player in a "postmodern world. In the
remaining weeks, we will turn to films made outside of Japan which take "Japan" as their topic, and trace how different views of the day -- from "Japan as a 'feminine' and submissive nation" to "Japan as an economic
threat"--are manifested and manipulated
in these films. In each case, we will examine the ways in which specific representations of "Japanese culture" are invoked, and will discuss the reasons behind and implications of such representations.
MAJOR READINGS
Films shown will include: RASHOMON, directed by Akira Kurosawa; TOKYO STORY, directed by Yasujiro Ozu; INSECT WOMAN, directed by Shohei Imamura; GODZILLA, directed by Ishiro Honda.
Japanese animated films: OKOGE,
directed by Takehiro Nakajima; MY
GEISHA, directed by Jack Cardiff; RISING SUN, directed by Philip Kaufman; PICTURE BRIDE, directed by Kayo Hatta
Accompanying readings will include selections from:
Noel Burch, TO THE DISTANT OBSERVER: FORM AND
MEANING IN THE JAPANESE CINEMA; Darrel
l W. Davis, PICTURING JAPANESENESS: MONUMENTAL STYLE, NATIONAL IDENTITY, JAPANESE FILM; Gina Marchetti, ROMANCE AND THE YELLOW PERIL: RACE, SEX AND DISCURSIVE STRATEGIES IN HOLLYWOOD FILM.
EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Two short papers (3-5 pages), in-class midterm exam and take-home final.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS
Grade breakdown: Class participation 25%, short papers 15% each, midterm exam 20%, final exam 25%.
COURSE FORMAT:
Lecture/Discussion
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Level:
UGRD
Credit:
1
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA AL&L
Grading Mode:
Graded
Prerequisites:
NONE
SECTION 01
- Instructor(s): Kawashima,Terry
- Times: .M..... 04:00PM-06:30PM; ....T.. 01:10PM-02:30PM; Location: FISK302
- Reserved Seats: (Total Limit: 35)
- SR. major: Jr. major:
- SR. non-major: 9 Jr. non-major: 9 SO: 9 FR: 8
Special Attributes:
- Curricular Renewal: Reading Non-Verbal Texts, Writing
Last Updated on MAR-24-2000
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Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459