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.