Course Syllabus
JAPANESE 240/340: Villains & Heroes in Japanese Literature
Semester 2, 2019
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Course Coordinator:
Dr Lawrence Marceau, Senior Lecturer in Japanese
Telephone: (09) 373-7599, ext. 86317 (off-campus direct: 923-6317)
Email: l.marceau@auckland.ac.nz
Website: http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/people/profile/l-marceau
Office: Arts 2 (Bldg 207), 18 Symonds Street, Room 431
Office Hours: Thursdays, 10:00am--11:00am, and by appointment
School of Cultures, Languages & Linguistics website: http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/schools-in-the-faculty-of-arts/school-of-cultures--languages-and-linguistics.html
Course Meeting Locations and Times (subject to change):
- Lectures: Tuesdays 09:00-10:00; 10:00-11:00 Design Studio 328 (423-328)
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Tutorials: (240) Wednesdays 14:00-15:00 Commerce A, G17 (114-G17)
(340) Wednesdays 15:00-16:00 Commerce A, G17 (114-G17)
Course Objectives:
In this course we shall explore works of Japanese literature from the first records and compilations (to 794), through the Heian (794-1192) period, when women served as the nearly exclusive authors and readers of vernacular narrative fiction, and into the Kamakura (1192-1333),Northern & Southern States (1336-92), and Muromachi (1336-1573) periods, when hereditary military elites held political power in the name of the Court. We shall then continue to explore modern works dating from the Meiji (1868-1912), Taishō (1912-26), Shōwa (1926-89), and contemporary Heisei (1989- ) eras. The time period covered in this course is about 1400 years, and the kinds of literature produced are extremely rich in variety, so this course may do little more than scratch the surface for some authors or genres, but hopefully it will whet your appetites to want to read more, in translation, in modern Japanese, and even in the original.
Depending on how effectively you study, you should gain three types of knowledge in this course. First, you should learn facts related to major authors, works, and movements that shaped the course of Japanese literary history. Second, you should begin to develop an appreciation for the themes and concerns raised by these texts within their socio-cultural contexts. Third, you should learn something about the nature of your own ethnic literary and cultural background through self-reflection, peer discussion, and comparing with other works you have read.
In tandem with these knowledge objectives, this course also fulfils important skills objectives. They include building skills in critical reading, classroom discussion, and effective writing. I devote a great deal of effort into reading your written work, so when you receive an assignment back from me, please look it over carefully and think about how you can improve in the future.
Grade Breakdown (240):
Tutorial Questions (total: 500 words) = 10%
1 medium-length essay (1500 words) = 30%
1 mid-semester test in Week 6 = 20%
1 longer final essay (2000 words) = 40%
Total = 100%
Grade Breakdown (340):
Tutorial Questions (total: 500 words) = 10%
1 medium-length essay (2000 words) = 30%
1 mid-semester test in Week 6 = 20%
1 longer final essay (2500 words) = 40%
Total = 100%
Course Materials:
Your Course Readers will be available at the ubiq Bookshop. If you decide to withdraw from the course, please return the course book to ubiq. Please note that if you lose your course book and need a new one, you will have to pay for it.
Essay Writing and Referencing Issues: How to Ensure Your Honesty as a Scholar
http://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/study-skills/referencing
Referen©ite and Quick©ite
http://www.cite.auckland.ac.nz/index.php
Important: Since JAPANESE 240 and 340 use Turnitin for essay marking, you will be submitting an electronic copy of your essays to Canvas, and they will then be deposited at Turnitin.com. There is no need to submit hard copies of your essays to the Faculty of Arts Reception in Arts 1. (I hope you appreciate this…)
The University subscribes to the Turnitin originality checking service. The service is provided for use at the discretion of all academic staff, and is funded centrally. It is most appropriate for text-based work.
All University course outlines are supposed to contain the following notice to students:
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student’s own work, reflecting his or her learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the world-wide web. A student’s assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
Turnitin logon is no longer required. As long as you are on Canvas, you are in the Turnitin system.
Also, I strongly encourage you to familiarize yourselves with the online resources available through the UoA Library system. You are extremely fortunate to be at the premier East Asian Studies research institutions in New Zealand, with a world-class library. Please go to the Japanese Resource Guide:
Also, I strongly encourage you to familiarize yourselves with the online resources available through the UoA Library system. You are extremely fortunate to be at the premier East Asian Studies research institutions in New Zealand, with a world-class library. Please go to the Japanese
Resource Guide:
http://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/guides/arts/japanese
to learn more about our Japanese Language Collection, journals, databases, and other digital material, and feel free to explore! For research, the online databases of full-text articles that students find most helpful include JSTOR (Journal Storage), Project Muse, and ProQuest (PhD theses and other scholarly materials): http://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/databases/collections/?collection_id=229
If you can read Japanese, then JapanKnowledge Lib (link in the Resource Guide above) provides a wealth of resources in the Japanese language.
Finally, I urge each of you to keep in touch with me regarding anything that might affect your performance in this course. NOTE ON EQUITY & IMPAIRMENT ISSUES: I also urge you to discuss privately any impairment-related requirements, face-to-face and/or in written form, with me. I am excited about having the opportunity to read and discuss with you some of the most thought-provoking literary works ever produced by the Japanese. We shall be reading works that often resist neat categorisation into western-derived generic divisions. I hope we can explore this material together and arrive at a critical appreciation of this literature and its times, which no one else perhaps has yet gained… Good luck!
(Illustration of moon, willow, hare, and bowl of melons in Uri meigetsu [Melon Harvest Moon] a haikai collection published in 1739. Collection of Aichi Prefectural University Library, Nagakute, Japan.)
http://www.aichi-pu.ac.jp/library/kohaisho/urimeigetsu/5.htm
Course Schedule
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Tuesday (09:00-10:00) Lecture (1) |
Tuesday (10:00-11:00) Lecture (2) |
Wednesday (13:00-14:00 = 240; 14:00-15:00 = 340) Tutorial
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Week 01 Ancient - Heian |
23 Jul Course introduction |
23 Jul "The Invincible Pair" |
24 Jul "Readable Japanese Mythology" (Kojiki, Nihon shoki)
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Week 02 Ancient - Heian |
30 Jul Tale of the Bamboo Cutter |
30 Jul Tales of Ise |
31 Jul Bamboo Cutter / Ise
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Week 03 Ancient – Heian |
06 Aug Tale of Genji |
06 Aug Tale of Genji |
07 Aug Tale of Genji (Essay 1 Topics)
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Week 04 Ancient - Heian |
13 Aug Pillow Book |
13 Aug Pillow Book |
14 Aug Pillow Book
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Week 05 Medieval |
20 Aug Tale of the Heike (Essay 1 Due) |
20 Aug Taiheiki: Chronicle of Great Peace |
21 Aug Heike; Taiheiki: Great Peace
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Week 06 Medieval |
27 Aug Mid-Semester Test |
27 Film: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (『かぐや姫の物語』) + The Tale of Genji(『源氏物語』) |
29 Aug Tales of Times Now Past; Collection of Tales from Uji
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Mid-semester Break (yayy) |
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Mid-semester Break (yayy) |
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Week 07 Medieval |
17 Sep Account of My Hermitage |
17 Sep Essays in Idleness |
18 Sep Hermitage / Idleness
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Week 08 Modern - Prewar |
24 Sep Higuchi Ichiyō “Thirteenth Night”, “Separate Ways” |
24 Sep Natsume Sōseki, Ten Nights of Dream |
25 Sep Ichiyō / Sōseki (Final Essay Topics)
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Week 09 Modern - Prewar |
01 Oct Nagai Kafū, "Peony Garden, "Coming Down with a Cold"
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01 Oct Kafū Rivalry Ch. 12 |
02 Oct Kafū |
Week 10 Modern – Postwar |
08 Oct Kawabata, "Palm-of-the-Hand Stories" |
08 Oct Mishima, "Martyrdom"; Akutagawa, "Rashōmon," "The Nose," "The Spider's Thread," "In a Grove"
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09 Oct Kawabata / Mishima / Akutagawa |
Week 11 Postwar - Contemporary |
15 Oct Murakami "Barn Burning," "Ice Man"
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15 Oct Yoshimoto Banana Kitchen |
16 Oct Murakami, Yoshimoto |
Week 12 Postwar - Contemporary |
22 Oct Ishida Ira, “Ikebukuro West Gate Park”
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22 Oct Course wrap-up End of Semester Celebration! |
23 Oct Ishida End of Semester Celebration! |
Final Essay Due Tuesday, 29 October, at 8:00 pm (earlier submissions encouraged) 楽(たの)しい夏(なつ)休(やす)みを!
Essay Marking Guidelines
A: Excellent/Superior (80-100) A+ (90-100) A (85-89) A- (80-84)
The essay presents a clearly-defined structure, including: 1) a clear but succinct statement of thesis; 2) a sound argument that supports that thesis and includes specific evidence from primary sources (i.e., the text or texts you are analysing) as well as secondary sources (i.e., reputable scholarly studies related to your thesis); and 3) a clear and concise conclusion that draws your thesis and its support together in a logical way.
The essay demonstrates a high degree of insight (How many senses are you using when you read?), including both what the work(s) explicitly present and what the work(s) leave unstated (implicit).
The supporting arguments are well-constructed and demonstrate a clear grasp of the major issues the essay explores.
The essay shows independent and creative thinking in developing complex ideas.
The essay challenges generalisations or other blanket statements related to Asia, Japan (Nihonjin ron), gender, race/ethnicity/class, or other issues.
The essay observes the conventions of prose style appropriate to academic writing in the Humanities, including a consistent use of referencing/citations and footnotes.
B: Good/Competent (65-79) B+ (75-79) B (70-74) B- (65-69)
The essay structure is clear, following the three features noted above, and well-supported arguments lead to logical conclusions.
The essay demonstrates some insight into your reading of the work(s) the essay examines, focussing mainly on those issues that the work(s) present explicitly.
Clear and effective prose expresses the essay's arguments throughout.
The essay avoids generalisations or other blanket statements related to Asia, Japan (Nihonjin ron), gender, race/ethnicity/class, or other issues.
The essay generally observes standard prose style and consistent referencing/citation conventions.
C: Fair/Passing (50-64) C+ (60-64) C (55-59) C- (50-54)
The essay is reasonably well structured, and attempts to respond to the topic, but displays one or more of the following problems:
lack of careful reading
confused argument
problems with essay structure and organisation
inconsistent or inadequate use of references/citations and/or footnotes
lack of insight in reading or argument development
generalisations related to Asia, Japan, race, gender, class, etc.
D: Poor/Failing (0-49) D+ (45-49) D (40-44) D- (0-39)
The essay presents serious problems in those aspects noted under “C” above.
Course Summary:
Date | Details | Due |
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