Admission requirements
None.
Description
Envisioning Difference in Japanese Art
In this course we consider how people and nonhumans such as animals and mythical creatures that were perceived as different, strange, or uncanny were represented in Japanese art of the early modern period. We will use these images as a starting point to think about the role of the popular imagination in shaping historical views of cultural difference, the Japanese self, and relations with the nonhuman environment. We will consider how the visual politics of urban spectacle and performance as well as anxieties drove the representation of “others” from outside and from within the Japanese archipelago. We discuss how people at the margins of society such as actors and sex workers were nevertheless celebrated as champions of the urban population in popular visual culture. We also investigate how the uncanny bodies and the perceived magic powers of nonhumans such as catfish and amabie were utilised in popular visual culture to cope with environmental challenges such as natural disasters.
Students of the BA Japanstudies, in addition to this seminar, are required to take a writing tutorial to support them in the process of writing papers (unless this tutorial has been previously completed or is already being taken at another seminar).
Course objectives
Through a combination of close analysis of visual materials and secondary readings on historical context, students will
Learn how to use different kinds of images as evidence to support their argument.
Develop a critical understanding of the functions of images in specific historical contexts which were determined by factors such as contemporary producers, audiences, and the ways in which images were circulated and viewed/read.
Consider the contribution of images to shaping historical views of cultural difference in Japan and people’s perception of historical realities.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Assessment method
Assessment
Participation Element (attendance, webpost, response, paper presentation) 50%
Research element (paper) 50%
Weighing
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
There is no resit for the participation element.
There is a two-deadline policy for the research paper; for those who miss this deadline, this means they have failed on the first attempt. Those who fail on the first attempt—whether by not submitting a paper by the first deadline, or by submitting an inadequate paper—will have one more (second and last) chance to submit their paper by the second deadline.
Inspection and feedback
Students will have an opportunity to make an appointment with the instructor to discuss the graded paper.
Reading list
Weekly readings for this course can be accessed via the syllabus on Brightspace.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office Herta Mohr
Remarks
None.