Admission requirements
Admission to the MA Asian Studies (research) or another relevant research MA programme. Students from other departments are kindly referred to the course description of the regular MA course.
Description
This seminar will examine discourses on the interaction between image and text with specific reference to in pre-modern Japan (i.e. until 1868). Starting point is the assumption that the image-text relationship is a crucial one to pre-modern Japan and that a mono-disciplinary approach has its limits in analyzing many sources from Japan’s cultural past. The seminar begins with contemporary theories concerning the relationship between images and words and moves on to a number of case studies that take-up specific sets (or “genres”) of image-text relationships in Japanese cultural history, such as paintings, ukiyo-e prints, narrative scrolls paintings (emaki), and calligraphy. The seminar also examines a range of readings of scholarly works on these materials from art-historical, visual, and literary studies and probes the possibilities of combining these disciplines in order to think critically about the way they interact.
Course objectives
The course aims to introduce students to a range of exemplary scholarly texts in visual, art historical and literary studies in English and (for those who are able) Japanese; to develop an awareness of relevant approaches, methodologies and schools; to develop a knowledge of the multi-disciplinary way in which such approaches interact in the academic study of Japanese pre-modern cultures and societies; to give students the capacity to react critically to different approaches and form their own scholarly responses.
Timetable
The timetable is available on the Asianstudies website
Mode of instruction
Seminar (werkgroep) with lecture elements
Attendance and participation are obligatory for seminars. Students are required to attend all sessions. The convenors need to be informed without delay of any classes missed for a good reason (i.e. due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness, family issues, problems with residence permits, the Dutch railways in winter, etc.). In these cases it is up to the discretion of the convener(s) of the course whether or not the missed class will have to be made up with an extra assignment. Being absent without notification can result in a lower grade or exclusion from the term end exams and a failing grade for the course.
Course Load
280 hours total
Weekly seminars: 4 hours per week; 28 hours total
Extra sessions for ResMA students: 6 hours
Preparation for classwork: 8 hours per week; 56 hours total
Preparation for extra ResMA sessions: 40 hours
Preparation for presentation: 34 hours
Written work: 116 hours
Assessment method
Assessment
Position papers and 1 term paper.
Weighing
participation (including presentation) 35%
4 position papers 25%
1 term paper (± 3,000 words) 40%.
Resit
The final grade for the course is established by determining the weighted average.
The end-term paper is written in two stages: a first version, which will be commented on, and a final version. Students who do not meet the deadline for the first version will lose the right to get comments and will only be graded based on their final version. Students who do not meet the deadline for the final version, will get a failing grade.
In order to pass the course, students must obtain an overall mark of 5.50 (=6) or higher. A new paper to replace the written work (65%) may be written if the overall mark for the course is “5.49” (=5) or lower. The deadline for this version will be determined in consultation. In the case of a re-write the overall grade will not exceed 6.0.
The course is an integrated whole. All categories must be completed in the same academic year. No partial marks can be carried over into following years.
Exam Review
Students may request an oral elucidation of the assessment within 30 days after publication of the grade.
Blackboard
Blackboard for course announcements, course documents, and assignments.
Note: there is no separate Blackboard page available for this ResMa course. Please subscribe to the Blackboard page of the regular MA course.
Reading List
to follow.
Additional readings for the ResMA students will be determined by the convener at a later stage taking into account the students’ field(s) of interest. This extra literature will be discussed during the (extra) tutorial sessions.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable.
Contact
Remarks
Students with disabilities
The university is committed to supporting and accommodating students with disabilities as stated in the university protocol (especially pages 3-5). Students should contact Fenestra Disability Centre at least four weeks before the start of their courses to ensure that all necessary academic accomodations can be made in time conform the abovementioned protocol.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to be familiar with Leiden University policies on plagiarism and academic integrity. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. If you submit any work with your name affixed to it, it is assumed to be your own work with all sources used properly indicated and documented in the text (with quotations and/or citations).