The course examines the Tale of Genji, the 1000-year-old masterpiece of Japanese literature about the commoner son of an emperor whose romantic dalliances, poetic sensibilities, and otherworldly beauty take him to the heights of political supremacy. The story of Hikaru Genji, “the shining prince,” is considered the pinnacle of classical literature and endures in Japanese cultural memory, inspiring works of traditional theater, art, and popular media. In this course, we will read key passages from this classic text in English translation, acquainting ourselves with its modes of literary expression and major themes. We will also examine the political and social contexts that shaped its production, reproduction, and reception. Finally, we will engage with the tale’s various retellings and reinterpretations across media and history to consider the role that adaptation plays in redefining the meaning and value of cultural expression.

Japan during the so-called “Bubble Period” was a decade of decadence and consumer excess fueled by an unsustainable asset price bubble that would burst in the early 1990s and bring about the “Lost Decades.” Before then, however, the country rode a wave of affluence that reverberated in the cultural mainstream. In this course we will focus on the fiction and films of Japan in the 1980s, while also examining manga, music, and city landmarks, in order to understand a society and culture in a decade of prosperity. This examination of diverse cultural forms will introduce us to interpretive strategies drawn from various disciplines. We will consider how cultural productions reflected the urbanization, technological growth, and consumerism of the decade, but also, how some of the works interrogated the costs and repercussions of such exuberance on its society.

This course is designed to explore the contemporary Japanese culture and language from historical, social, and linguistic aspects. It will introduce the brief history of Japanese culture and language, including its writing system, and discuss how they have changed over time. The course will especially emphasize the linguistic aspect of the contemporary Japanese society and culture by drawing examples from anthropological, linguistic, and socio-linguistic studies. Major topics are traditional and modern writing systems, diversity among the speakers, and language in pop culture. Additional topics include gender differences, geographical differences, style shifting, and register. No prior knowledge of Japanese language/culture is required.

This course explores how Japanese literature and cinema engage with environmental themes, offering a window into cultural attitudes toward nature, ecological crises, and human relationships with the non-human world. From postwar literature reflecting on the destruction of World War II to contemporary films addressing climate change and urbanization, students will examine how Japanese fiction and film grapple with environmental concerns in ways that challenge, critique, and reimagine societal values. Discussions will be framed by interdisciplinary theories of ecocriticism, environmental justice, and the Anthropocene, with a particular focus on how Japanese cultural contexts shape environmental discourse.

This course is designed to explore the issues of minorities in contemporary Japanese society through linguistic, socio-linguistic, and anthropological perspectives. The course will especially emphasize the experiences of speakers of minority languages and ethnic minorities in Japan, including the indigenous people of Hokkaido and Okinawa. Other major topics include gender, sexuality, and poverty. The course will explore various scholarly articles in linguistic and anthropological studies as well as other mediums such as films, literature, and graphic novels that address experiences of social, cultural, and linguistic minorities in Japan. Through discussions, students will be encouraged to reflect on their own society.