Last update: January 26, 2018

Am St 2120 (811) Hip-Hop Culture: African Origins to Urban America

This course examines hip-hop culture and its relation to American & African American Culture in general. We will examine the historical origins of hip-hop culture from the Griot oral tradition in Africa up to the current global impact on youth consumption, imitation, appropriation, and customization (in particular, Japanese youth) of trends that have been spawned by the hip-hop culture in the U.S.A. We will also look at how hip-hop culture is a multi-dimensional phenomena and not simply a "style".

Art Hist 2096 (811)/As St 2096 (812) 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 2098 (811) Art and Queer Theory

This course examines the intersections of queer theory and contemporary art practices from the 1960s to the present. In the 1990s, "queer theory" emerged as an interdisciplinary method of analysis that understands identity to be constructed, contested, fluid, and performatively defined. Taking pleasure in dissonance and marginalization, queerness positions itself actively against fixity and normalcy. Throughout the semester, this course will explore key arguments made in queer theory and how they relate to contemporary art practice. The class will variously explore how the history of art may be "queered" through re-contextualization; how queerness was coded by artists in the pre-Stone Wall era; and how queerness was embraced in the 1980s at the height of the AIDS epidemic and has since been used as a way to create subversive, self-empowering works that challenge established notions regarding art, identity, and politics. The authors we will read will include Sigmund Freud, Judith Butler, Eve Sedgwick, Richard Meyer, and Douglas Crimp. We will consider works by Andy Warhol, Gran Fury, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Robert Gober, Zoe Leonard, Catherine Opie, and Fierce Pussy. We will use both the texts and artworks to address difficult questions about the relations between art, politics, theory, and practice.

Art Hist 2800 (811)/As St 3000 (811) Japanese Graphic Design History

Japanese Graphic Design History explores the rise and development of commercial art and advertising art into graphic design in the Japanese context from the Meiji Restoration to the contemporary moment. This course examines the aesthetic, market-based and sociopolitical milestones that have influenced design while simultaneously exploring the pantheon of both renowned and underexplored Japanese graphic designers. Students will read relevant slices of design theory—the history, criticism and literature—from Asia, Europe and the Americas in order to contextualize Japanese Graphic Design History and the localized developments of Modernism, Postmodernism and the current Neoliberal Era. This course approaches the analysis of graphic design from an all-encompassing perspective, examining the design of everyday commercially designed objects such as matchbooks to posters for cinema and theater to the design of Japanese typefaces to the design of corporate identities. Students will gain a nuanced understanding of why and how our designed world looks the way it does through history-rich talks, graphic design studio visits with famous graphic designers, and trips to graphic design exhibitions. This class is the lone course offered globally that explores the robust history of Japanese Graphic Design in total.

Art Hist 2800 (812)/As St 3000 (812) Japanese Art Before and After WWII: From Manga to Performance Art

This course introduces Japanese art from the early 20th 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.

Art Hist 2898 (811)/As St 2096 (811) 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.

As St 2000 (811)/GSWS 2000 (811) Gender and Sexuality in Asia

This course examines the ways men and women develop sexual identities through their membership in society, with a particular focus on East, South-East, and South Asian societies. We will analyze historical, cultural, social, and political constructions of gender, sexual knowledge, and identity, exploring how the construction of gender and sexuality has changed within each society as well as across the region. We will also examine the overwhelming heterosexual imperative in Asian societies, as well as the pervasive media influence on gender and sexual expressions. The course involves an analysis of sexual scripts, the production and reproduction of these scripts, and the impact of such scripts and media messages on individuals and society. The class will be conducted on a seminar basis involving presentation and discussion of assigned readings. All students will be assigned in rotation a reading for presentation. In each class, students will be required to submit summaries and discussion questions for the reading assignment in question.

As St 4096 (811) Cold War in Asia

While the Cold War began in Europe, it was in Asia that it first turned "hot." Moreover, several factors—especially decolonization, race, and the rise of nationalism—made the Cold War even more complex in Asia compared to Europe. This class will examine the changing nature of the Cold War in Asia from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s. We will pay special attention to the influence of ideologies, economics, perceptions of geopolitical realities, domestic politics, and culture on the policies and actions of key regional players such as the People's Republic of China, Japan, and Vietnam, as well as the United States, the Soviet Union, and various European powers. That fact that divisions caused by the Cold War in Asia continue to shape the region—note the armistice separating the two Koreas—will also be considered. Students will be introduced to various interpretive frameworks developed by scholars to understand the actions of both state actors and nonstate actors. Analysis of a variety of primary sources will be central to this course. Since this is a writing intensive class, students will have the opportunity to become an expert in a particular aspect of Cold War Asia by selecting a significant topic that interests them and writing a research paper. This key element of the class will be divided into a four step process: proposal, primary source outline, first draft, and final draft.

FMA 3696 (811) History of Japanese Cinema

The history of cinema in Japan is filled with outstanding examples of stylistic innovation and of the creation of art for purposes of social criticism and political protest. In this course, we will study the rich and eventful history of Japanese cinema from the 1920s to the present through the work of some of its major directors, such as Ozu Yasujiro, Mizoguchi Kenji, Kurosawa Akira, Naruse Mikio, and Oshima Nagisa. We will also look at examples of work in such mainstream commercial genres as the samurai film, the contemporary urban crime film, comedy, horror, science-fiction, and anime. We will locate Japanese films in their historical, cultural, and institutional contexts, studying changes in the industrial system of major-studio filmmaking, the role of cinema in reflecting dominant and oppositional cultural positions, and the responses of cinema to social upheavals, the traumas of World War II, the postwar "economic miracle," and more recent economic and social developments. We will also focus on gender roles in Japanese cinema, on portrayals of Tokyo in Japanese films, and on traditions of Japanese documentary.

Japanese 1003 (811) 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 (811) 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 (811) 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.

Jour 3701 (811) 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.

Jour 3701 (812) Japanese Sports and Media

Students in this course will become familiar with the role of media and communication in the human experience, the cultural history of Japanese sports, and methods of research related to the study of their intersection. A variety of topics will be covered, including issues of national and cultural identity, globalization, and gender. The course will provide a general overview of media theory, from a cultural studies perspective, and students will learn to apply theory to practice via original research in the Japanese context.

Lib Arts 2020 (811) 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 (811) 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 3890 (811) 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 3520 (811)/As St 3000 (813) Korean Politics

This course is about the government and politics in South Korea. We will first take a look at the historical processes from the liberation and division of the Korean peninsula to the democratization and economic development of the South Korea and nuclear and economic challenges of North Korea. We will then survey the political institutions and groups that shape politics and policy making in South Korea. We will analyze how mechanisms of delegation, representation, and accountability work, and what authorities and constraints decision makers possess and face. We will also analyze the politics and political economy of policy reforms by focusing on several areas of policy making. Lastly, we will look at the current state and prospects of Japan-Korea relations with a special attention to the ways in which history and present-day political institutions shape the incentives and thus, behaviors of the major decision makers in each of the respective countries.

Psych 3620 (811) Body Image Disturbances Among Females in Contemporary Societies

In contemporary societies such as the US and Japan, increasing numbers of young females are suffering from negative body image. In this topics seminar, we will learn about body image and body dissatisfaction, how it develops and what it leads to, and unique cultural aspects of body image in various countries. In addition, we will examine the role of males, family, peers, and the media in development and maintenance of body dissatisfaction. Moreover, potential prevention and intervention techniques will be discussed.

Psych 4696 (811) The Self

"Self" is an important aspect of our consciousness and although most of us realize this, we question what it is, where it's located, and what it does. In this course, students will explore how "self" is currently defined across fields of psychology and psychological perspectives, such as the psychodynamic, humanistic and neuroscience perspectives, to name a few. Students will also consider theory and research evidence on when and how "self" develops. Lastly, students will explore various problems associated with disrupted sense of "self" In this seminar course students will be responsible for discussing readings and at the end of the term give a presentation on their Capstone Paper, which will be an in-depth theoretical analysis or empirical research proposal on some aspect of self.