JPNS1041: Introduction to Japanese Culture: From Antiquity to the Present

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• To introduce students to the cultural history of Japan.
• To foster a consciousness of Japan's role in and experience of globalisation over the longue dure.
• To impart critical concepts and methodologies for the analysis of textual and visual artefacts.

• Through a survey of Japanese cultural production over the last 1500 years, including literature, religion, philosophy, and visual and performing arts, this module will introduce students to new perspectives on the long history of globalisation in East Asia.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• By the end of this module students will have:
• developed a basic understanding of Japanese cultural history, and gained critical skills for situating the products of this history within broader transnational and global frameworks.

Subject-specific Skills:

• By the end of this module students will:
• have gained the ability to contextualise, critically engage with, and effectively analyse cultual artefacts cental to the history of Japan.
• to understand how the study of Japanese history can contribute to re-thinking the idea of "culture" in an ever more connected world.

Key Skills:

• By the end of this module students will:
• have improved written and oral communication skills.
• develop the ability to work independently, with effective reading and research skills.

• Lectures will provide structured delivery of core module content;
• Seminars will enable more active discussion, developing students' skills in critical thinking, discussion and oral presentation;
• The module will be taught and assessed in English;
• Students are expected to attend all lectures ands seminars, prepare appropriately for classes, and to participate actively in discussions.

Formative assessment will take place as a three-step scaffolded process. Step 1 comprises the collaborative online annotation of a primary source within small teams of 3-4 students. Step 2 comprises individual blogging of ca. 500 words on a theme/keyword/concept that emerged from Step 1, and a response/comment of ca. 250 words on the blog of a peer. Step 3 involves the recording of a short presentation (ca. 5-7 minutes) developing the blog post into a concrete and specific argument, referencing at least two secondary sources in addition to the primary source(s) already considered.

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