Japanese Language and Literature Courses
Japanese 1A is designed to develop basic Japanese language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students will learn the Japanese writing system: hiragana, katakana and approximately 150 kanji. At the end of the course, students should be able to greet, invite, compare, and describe persons and things, activities, intensions, ability, experience, purposes, reasons, and wishes. Grades will be determined on the basis of attendance, quiz scores, homework and class participation.
This semester, we will explore a wide range of media works with a focus on experimental and narrative cinema, including eco-horror, melodrama, romance, tech-noir, and anime. Going beyond the concerns of auteurism and national styles, we will approach contemporary Japanese cinema and media as a participant in a series of transnational conversations about cybernetics, media mix, gaming and database aesthetics as well as on emergent forms of sociality (gender, race, sexuality) intimated by the reconfigurations of communication technologies. In addition to discussing the transcultural give and take of media theory, we will explore the various intersections of Japanese cinema with other media forms.
The goal of this course is for the students to understand the language and culture required to communicate effectively in Japanese. Some of the cultural aspects covered are; geography, speech style, technology, sports, food, and religion. Through the final project, students will learn how to discuss social issues and their potential solutions. In order to achieve these goals, students willlearn how to integrate the basic linguistics knowledge they acquired in J1, as well as study new structures and vocabulary. An increasing amount of reading and writing, including approximately 200 new kanji, will also be required. Prerequisites: Japan 1 or Japan 1B.
This course aims to develop further context-specific skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. It concentrates on students using acquired grammar and vocabulary with more confidence in order to express functional meanings, while increasing overall linguistic competence. Students will learn approximately 200 new Kanji. There will be a group or individual project. Course materials include the textbook supplemented by newspapers, magazine articles, short stories, essays, and video clips which will provide insight into Japanese culture and society. Prerequisites: Japan 100A; or consent of instructor.
This course is designed for students who have studied Japanese at college level for at least three years (450 hours). Students read a variety of texts in Japanese as sources for discussions that deepen their understanding of Japanese society and people. Additionally, they will research related topics, followed by a short presentation in class. Through these activities, students develop further their knowledge of kanji, vocabulary, and Japanese grammar. They will improve their ability to read and write logically, coherently, and effectively in Japanese so that they can express their points of view and construct argumentative discourse. Prerequisites: J100B, J100X, or equivalent; or consent of instructor.
Description coming soon. Prerequisities: Japan 120; or consent of instructor.
This course examines the historical production and reception of key Japanese literary and film texts; how issues of gender, ethnicity, social roles, and national identity specific to each text address changing economic and social conditions in postwar Japan. ***Please note: readings for this course are in Japanese; the prerequisite is Japanese 100A (may be taken concurrently).
This course deals with issues of the structure of the Japanese language and how they have been treated in the field of linguistics. It focuses on phonetics/phonology, morphology, writing systems, dialects, lexicon, and syntax/semantics. Students are required to have advanced knowledge of Japanese. No previous linguistics training is required. Prerequisites: 10B or equivalent.
An overview of the concepts of theoretical, contrastive, and practical linguistics which form the basis for work in translation between Japanese and English through hands-on experience. Topics include translatability, various kinds of meaning, analysis of the text, process of translating, translation techniques, and theoretical background.
Prerequisites: Japanese 100, Japanese 100B, or Japanese 100X; or equivalent.
This seminar will be run as a practicum to help students design and carry out research projects using Japanese source materials (and source materials in Chinese, Korean, and English housed in Japanese libraries and archives). In addition to readings that introduce approaches to the theory and methods of archival research, the course will be structured around the solving of weekly practical problems that emerge out of our bibliographical research. As well as introducing research databases and collections on the Berkeley campus, students will learn how to use major Japanese collections like the National Diet Library and the National Archives as well as more specialized libraries that focus on literature, theater, film, Occupation materials, and colonial period materials housed in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.
Subjects to be covered include: What is a Problem in Japanese Studies: Formulating a Research Question; Introduction to Descriptive Bibliography: Japanese Books from 1600-1960; From the Campus to the World: Using Local Resources to Plan Archival Research; Practicalities: Planning, Funding, and Presenting your Research. The final project will be to produce a detailed project plan based on each participant’s own research interests.
Reading and critical evaluation of selected texts in postwar (roughly the 1940s through the present) Japanese literature and literary and cultural criticism. Texts change with each offering of the course.