Last update: July 30, 2018

Art Hist 2898 (801)/As St 2096 (801) Contemporary Japanese Art and Visual Culture, from 1945 to the 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 the 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.

Art Hist 2096 (801)/As St 2096 (803) Eurasia: Connecting European and Asian Art and Culture

Even though we are living in a globalizing world, our common knowledge of cultures other than our own is limited. Since every culture has its own uniqueness, it can often cause misunderstandings during interpretation. Located on the eastern side of Eurasia, Japan can be seen as a reflection of Europe itself in many ways. By comparing the cultures and historical incidents of these parts of Eurasia, they echo resounding similarities. This class connects European and Asian cultures into the singular continental culture of Eurasia - through cross cultural comparisons of significant moments in history and places of significance. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to compare the social and historical contexts of Europe and Japan, while being able to create your own critical analysis's on this area of study. Although, not required, it is recommended to take "Japanese Culture" course before taking this course.

Art Hist 2800 (801)/As St 3000 (801) Japanese Art Before and After WWII: From Manga to Performance Art

This course introduces Japanese art from the early 20 th century to present day, focusing on traditional aspects of Japanese cultures. Through this course you will study Japan's relationship with modernization and its influence on arts and cultures such as; painting, sculpture, manga, movie, animation, performance art, and more. The artists who will be discussed in these courses will be; Hayao Miyazaki, Osamu Tezuka, Leonard Tsuguharu Fujita, Yasujiro Ozu, Yoko Ono, Yukio Mishima, and Yasumasa Morimura. Special attention will be paid to the historical context of Japan's modernization, World War II, and their influences on Japanese contemporary art. The aim of this course is to help you develop literacy on Japanese modern/contemporary art and culture. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to understand the social and historical context of Japanese art and culture. Enabling you to create your own critical analysis's on this particular field of study. Previous knowledge of Japan's history or art is not required for this course.

As St 2000 (801) Social Inequality in Asia

This course explores various aspects of social inequality and injustice-economic, social, legal, religious, ethnic, gender, political and sexual orientation- in Asian countries and the consequences thereof for those societies and the affected people. We examine the historical, political, institutional, economic, and socio-cultural contexts for these injustices and how different actors-perpetrators, victims, the state and non-government organizations-have and are responding to the manifest challenges. Students will read into relevant theories and methodologies in order to develop a conceptual framework for comparative analysis relevant to their own research and the overall discipline of Asian Studies. The course will focus on various case studies that help illuminate the central themes while students will conduct their own research projects on inequality and injustice and its significance for understanding the societies we study.

As St 4096 (802) Contemporary Political & Security Relations in Northeast Asia: Japan, China & the Korean Peninsula

With three of the world's leading economies, N.E. Asia plays a significant role in an increasingly globalised environment. In political terms, however, relations among Japan, China, and the two contending states on the Korean Peninsula are often tense and fraught with difficulties. In security terms as well, regional territorial disputes and the real danger of military conflict on the Korean Peninsula - with sabre-rattling over how to deal with a nuclear-armed North Korea - call for timely study and attention. This course utilises International Relations' and Security Studies' approaches to explore current tensions, relations, and prospects for war or peace in the whole of N.E. Asia.

FMA 3696 (801) Japanese Independent Cinema

This course will explore Japanese independent cinema (films made outside the major studio system) from the 1990s to the present. Films to be screened will be drawn from the works of Kitano Takeshi, Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Aoyama Shinji, Koreeda Hirokazu, Kawase Naomi, Sion Sono, Miike Takashi, Tsukamoto Shinya, Yamashita Nobuhiro, and other key filmmakers. We will discuss these films in terms of their stylistic and formal aspects and will also consider how they reflect and comment on such issues in contemporary Japanese society as the collapse of the bubble economy, changes in family and gender roles, environmental crises, and the relationships of current generations with Japanese history and cultural tradition. Other topics we will examine include funding, distribution, and exhibition opportunities for independent films, the roles played by film schools and film festivals in the world of independent cinema, and the political and cultural meanings of independence in the Japanese context.

FMA 3696 (802) East Asian Melodrama

This course will explore how love and suffering have been portrayed in films from Japan, South Korea, and Chinese-speaking countries. We will start by examining major theories of melodrama that have been developed in the West, especially in relation to the psychoanalytic concepts of repression, hysteria, trauma, and fantasy. We will then consider how Asian films expand and challenge Western definitions of melodrama. We will examine traditional, revisionist, and subversive uses of melodrama, focusing on cinematic style and on the representation of family relationships, gender, sexuality, romantic love, and the social impact of accelerated modernization. We will also consider ways of deepening emotional responses to films through critical writing. Films to be screened will be drawn from the 1930s to the present and from works by Mizoguchi Kenji, Naruse Mikio, Kim Ki-young, Yu Hyun-mok, Shin Sang-ok, Fei Mu, Xie Jin, Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou, Stanley Kwan, Wong Kar-wai, Edward Yang, and other directors.

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 4196 (801) Japanese Society and Culture through Newspaper

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. This course focuses on reading on socio-cultural aspects of Japan by reading newspapers. Newspapers are one of the main sources of information to learn about the society's present status, social and political problems, and perspectives for future. In this course, students will learn the most up-to-date information of Japanese society and develop their reading skills and comprehension by reading newspapers. To achieve those goals, the course is divided into two parts. The first half of the course will be devoted to developing reading skills and building lexicon necessary to understand newspaper articles as well as the stylistics and format characteristic of newspapers (e.g., the use of abbreviations and technical terms in the headlines and leads). In order to increase readiness for reading newspapers, students will read 5-7 short passages a day (with a complete vocabulary list) on a variety of topics. Students' acquisition of new vocabulary and expressions will be tested on a daily basis. In the second half of the semester, students will read Japanese newspaper articles weekly. Each week, two articles will be chosen for a class reading followed by discussions. In addition, each student will choose an article for a weekly oral report. Through reading and class discussions, students are expected to gain in-depth understanding and analytical views of contemporary Japanese society and culture.

Jour 3701 (801) Journalism and Japan's Geopolitical Impact on the World

Asia's geopolitical impact on world affairs continues to expand in significance and tenure. What role do the press play in informing and deciphering the vast interaction of politics, business and culture? This course aims to introduce students to timely issues through attending real press conferences, discussion and practical journalistic writing. All students taking the course are given free student membership at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan and the Japan National Press Club.

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 3590 (801) Broadcast and Podcasting Practicum

This practicum is focused on the design, production and broadcasting of podcasts by and for Temple University, Japan Campus students. These weekly 5-10 min filmed and scripted podcasts will feature helpful information for other students, local cultural points of interest, other students of unique skills and studies, teachers of various unique focuses, and other human interest points. There will be 2 professors or advisors guiding the students to help them continue to learn and expand their knowledge in all areas involved including filming techniques, editing, sound engineering and then the creative production of the weekly projects. All students enrolled will have a chance to experience and be a part of each facet that is involved in producing these unique podcasts.

MSP 3890 (801) Scoring Music for Media

In films, documentaries, instructional videos, commercials and more, music is a vital part of creating or enhancing specific moods desired by the films creators. Music composition for this industry is in itself a full time career. However, the film creator that understands first-hand what is entailed in composing or choosing music for film will have an advantage over many in being able to clearly decide and describe where and what kind of music would best serve to enhance the success of the film creation. This course will teach some of the vital basics on how to either select pre-recorded music or create original music suitable. Also the differences between diegetic and non-diegetic music, tempos, tones, different moods and dynamics within certain styles of compositions and instrumentation will be explained for the 'non-musician' and musician alike in order to make innovative choices that fit the film maker's vision. We will be exploring simple sound engineering using today's software programs for recording original music using instrumental interface or direct input, manipulation of music with affects and the editing in order to interlink and sync the music to film. We will conclude the class with a music/film project.

Pol Sci 4320 (801) Eurasian Politics: The International Affairs of Russia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus

The Soviet Union may be long gone, but the countries that emerged from its collapse in 1991 remain highly significant in international affairs. This course traces the political and economic development of these independent states and highlights their continued difficulties in managing relations amongst themselves and with the world more generally. Inevitably, most attention in this regard goes to Russia. The largest country in the world, Russia dominates the Eurasian landmass and, via its veto in the UN Security Council and enormous nuclear arsenal, it retains a leading role in international politics. In discussing its global standing, this course places particular emphasis on Russia's status as an "energy superpower", its perception in the West as an unscrupulous spoiler, and its recent decision to reorient the country towards the Asia-Pacific. A further key topic is Russia's plan to create a Eurasian Union, a project condemned by the US as "a move to re-Sovietise the region". Away from Russia, this course has three further areas of focus. The first is Central Asia, where vast natural resources have encouraged the West and China to challenge Russia's hegemony. The second is the Caucasus where the 2008 Georgia-Russian war and the frozen conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan have left an explosive legacy. Lastly, there is Eurasia's western fringe where the people of dictatorial Belarus and politically unstable Ukraine struggle to determine whether their future lies with Europe or Russia.

Pol Sci 4896 (801) Foreign Policy Analysis

Whether ordering military strikes, funding opposition groups, or seeking to sign new trade deals, foreign policy decisions are some of the most momentous choices facing national leaders. However, what are the processes that cause decision makers to select one course of action over another? This is the key subject matter of Foreign Policy Analysis. This course introduces students to this sub-discipline of International Relations. It teaches them the field's history, as well as its main theories and distinctive "levels of analysis" approach. Having learned these basics in the abstract, students are then required to apply the methods of Foreign Policy Analysis to specific case studies to determine which causal factors were most important in the making of each decision. The case studies selected cover a range of time periods and geographical regions, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the atomic bombings of Japan, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, North Korean nuclear brinkmanship, and Russia' s annexation of Crimea.

Psych 3620 (801) Prejudice and Discrimination in Japan

Japan is a country where discrimination and prejudice towards certain groups are not really visible to the public or part of public awareness, even for the very groups that discriminate against others. However, Japan has been going through social, economic, and institutional transitions which highlight the experience of groups that suffer discrimination and prejudice. This course focuses on how certain groups in Japan experience discrimination and prejudice - groups such as women, people with infectious diseases, foreign workers and residents, ethnic minority groups (buraku, ainu, zainichi), and people with physical and mentally disabilities. The course analyzes the nature of existing discrimination and prejudice from psychological perspectives and theories.

Psych 3620 (802) Intercultural Marriage

This is an introduction to the major social and psychological aspects of Japanese-Western intercultural marriage. A brief historical introduction covers relevant aspects of general Japanese-Western interaction in history, as well as present-day Japanese attitudes towards Westerners (and vice versa). Different phases of reciprocal adjustment will be discussed, as well as the salient social and psychological reasons for potential conflicts in an intercultural marriage. Major factors are: differences in customs and values, male and female role expectations, living conditions, the role of the in-laws, medical matters, language, religion, politics, communication problems, need for friends, finances, social class. When raising their children, interculturally married parents may be challenged by differing attitudes towards being a father and a mother, education; and the children's feeling that they are "different" from other children. Despite many problems, intercultural marriage can be a tremendous positive challenge, which offers many chances for greater personal growth and deeper human and cultural understanding.

Psych 4696 (801) Capstone in Psychology: Cross-Cultural Themes in Psychology

The main focus of this capstone is a timely topic important to many fields in psychology, addressing a need for academic analysis of rapidly changing social and cultural interactions in the global context. The course will allow students to see and analyze the linkages between concepts, theories, research findings and professional applications from the cross-cultural perspective with special emphasis put on the contemporary psychological phenomena in Japan. This course also offers a comprehensive analysis of various clinical, social and cultural perspectives, related to globalization, international mobility, human relationships in public and private spheres, online psychology/virtual reality, cross-cultural psychopathology, etc. This capstone is particularly useful for students planning graduate work in psychology or considering studying/working overseas, and those who would like to develop the deeper understanding of multi-layered mechanisms, which underlie the cross-cultural phenomena in psychology. This is a writing-intensive course and students are required to explore relevant literature, critically analyze academic sources and findings, raise questions, and prepare an academic paper on their particular topic of interest. NOTE: This course is limited to psychology majors in their senior year.

Pol Sci 4310 (801)/As St 3030 (801) Chinese Foreign Policy

What does the rise of China mean for international society? What are the major challenges for China's relations with major powers in the world? What factors drive or constrain Chinese foreign policy? These questions are of significant importance for our understanding of international relations. This course explores modern Chinese foreign policy in a historical and sociological perspective. It aims to help students understand the domestic and international contexts of Chinese foreign relations by examining a variety of aspects, such as the history of modern Chinese foreign policy (from mid-19th century to the present), the institutions and process of Chinese foreign policy making, political culture and Chinese foreign relations, China and major powers (the US, Japan, EU, and Russia), and China's role in global governance. As a 4000-level research seminar, beside building up the knowledge about Chinese foreign policy, students are expected to participate in class discussion and develop their research interests on specific topics in this field.