Readings are also listed by session.
Required Texts
Robertson, Jennifer. Takarazuka: Sexual Politics and Popular Culture in Modern Japan. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780520211513.
Napier, Susan. Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke. New York, NY: Palgrave, 2001. ISBN: 9780312238636.
Keene, Donald, trans. Chushingura: The Treasury of Loyal Retainers. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1997. ISBN: 9780231035316.
Readings by Session
| WEEK # | TOPICS | READINGS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to the Course: Asian / Performance / Cultures Discussion: Performances of Class and Gender - Street vs. Opera |
Film: Wu, Tian-Ming. King of Masks, 1996. |
| 2 | Anime and Japanese Culture | Geertz, Clifford. "Notes on the Balinese Cockfight." 1973, republished "Deep Play: notes on the Balinese Cockfight." 1972. Daedalus 134, no. 4 (Fall 2005): 56-86. Napier, Susan. Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke. New York, NY: Palgrave, 2001, pp. 3-138. ISBN: 9780312238636. (Text) Film: Kon, Satoshi. Paranoia Agent, 2004. (TV show - Part 1) |
| 3 | Pokemon and Cross-Cultural Influence |
Selections from Pikachu's Global Adventure Tobin, Joseph, ed. Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokemon. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2004, chapters 4-6. ISBN: 9780822332879. Allison, Anne. "Cuteness as Japan's Millennial Product." In Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokemon. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780822332879. Selected Short Stories by Haruki Murakami Haruki, Murakami. "The Kidney-Shaped Stone That Moves Everyday," The New Yorker, September 26, 2005. Film: Kon, Satoshi. Paranoia Agent, 2004. (TV show - Part 2) |
| 4 |
Anime as Performance Discussion of Issues Related to Paper 1 |
Napier, Susan. Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke. New York, NY: Palgrave, 2001. ISBN: 9780312238636. (Finish the book - text) |
| 5 | Fiction, Music and Politics |
Short Stories by Haruki Murakami Murakami, Haruki. "UFO in Kushiro," The New Yorker, September, 2001. |
| 6 | Hip-Hop, Japan and Race as Performed | Wood, Joe. "Yellow Negro." In Giant Steps: A New Generation of African-American Writers. Edited by Kevin Young. New York, NY: Perennial, 2001. ISBN: 9780613339032. Condry, Ian. "Yellow B-Boys, Black Culture, and the Elvis Effect." In Hip-Hop Japan and the Paths of Cultural Globalization. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. (Forthcoming) Atkins, Taylor. "The Japanese Jazz Artist and the Authenticity Complex." In Blue Nippon. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780822327219. Film: Watanabe, Shinichirô. Samurai Champloo, 2004. (Selected episodes) |
| 7 | Asian Identities and Politics through Comics Tak Toyoshima will Discuss his Editorial Comic Secret Asian Man during the First Half of Class |
Murakami, Takashi. Superflat Manifesto. Tokyo, Japan: Madora Shuppan, 2000. ISBN: 9784944079209. Duus, Peter "Weapons of the Weak, Weapons of the Strong: The Development of the Japanese Political Cartoon." Journal of Asian Studies 60, no. 4 (November 2001). Read "Secret Asian Man" archive. (Selections) Film: Watanabe, Shinichirô. Samurai Champloo, 2004. (Selected episodes) |
| 8 | Beijing Film Academy - Animation from China | Robertson, Jennifer. Takarazuka: Sexual Politics and Popular Culture in Modern Japan. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780520211513. (First half) |
| 9 | Gender, Sexuality and Performance | Robertson, Jennifer. Takarazuka: Sexual Politics and Popular Culture in Modern Japan. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1998. ISBN: 9780520211513. (Finish) Film: Longinotto, Kim, and Jano Williams. Dream Girls, 1994. |
| 10 | Transgendered Identities in Japan | Keene, Donald, trans. Chushingura: The Treasury of Loyal Retainers. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1997. ISBN: 9780231035316. (First half) Film: Ogawa, Lulu. We Are Transgenders, 1998. |
| 11 | Cultural Performances and Authenticity Discussion of Authenticity, 47 Samurai ("Passing" as Failed Ronin) |
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| 12 | Student Presentations Discussion of Final Paper Topics |
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| 13 | Final Class |