Hiroshima University Syllabus

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Japanese
Academic Year 2024Year School/Graduate School Morito Institute of Global Higher Education
Lecture Code 8B501001 Subject Classification Specialized Education
Subject Name The Japanese Culture and Peace
Subject Name
(Katakana)
ザ ジャパニーズ カルチャー アンド ピース
Subject Name in
English
The Japanese Culture and Peace
Instructor FERREIRO POSSE DAMASO
Instructor
(Katakana)
フェレイロ ポッセ ダマソ
Campus Higashi-Hiroshima Semester/Term 1st-Year,  Second Semester,  3Term
Days, Periods, and Classrooms (3T) Tues3-4,Fri5-6:EDU K215
Lesson Style Lecture Lesson Style
(More Details)
 
Students are expected to discuss in every class session and express their opinion about the distributed materials.  
Credits 2.0 Class Hours/Week   Language of Instruction B : Japanese/English
Course Level 2 : Undergraduate Low-Intermediate
Course Area(Area) 23 : Arts and Humanities
Course Area(Discipline) 11 : Cultural Anthropology
Eligible Students Japanese students, international students and exchange students
Keywords Japanese Culture, Peace Studies, Japanese Religion, Japanese Literature 
Special Subject for Teacher Education   Special Subject  
Class Status
within Educational
Program
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
 
Criterion referenced
Evaluation
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
Integrated Global Studies
(Knowledge and Understanding)
・The knowledge and understanding of one's own language and culture and other languages and cultures that are prerequisite abilities for communication with people from different cultures and areas of specialization.
(Abilities and Skills)
・The ability to collect and analyze necessary literature or data among various sources of information in individual academic disciplines.
・The ability to summarize one's own research in reports or academic papers, deliver presentations at seminars or research meetings, and explain it in an easy way so that people in different cultures and areas of specialization understand.
(Comprehensive Abilities)
・The ability to take action cooperatively to advance research to resolve the problem by sharing issues with people from different cultures and areas of specialization, and explaining one’s own ideas logically and simply. 
Class Objectives
/Class Outline
By taking this class, students should be to:

1 Describe basic concepts of Japanese culture.

2 Discuss and give their opinion about current phenomena and issues Japan is experiencing nowadays.

3 Group work should allow the student to refine understanding through discussion and explanation, as well as to develop stronger communication skills.

4 Understand basic patterns and problems that arise from intercultural contact.
 
Class Schedule First week: Religion in Japan: Shintoism, Buddhism and other minor religions.
Readings: Shinto, The Kami Way, Sokyo Ono; What is Zen, Daisetz Suzuki;  The smile of the gods(『神神の微笑』), Akutagawa Ryunosuke.
Second week: The conception of TIME and SPACE in the Japanese culture.
Readings: A problem of time, Carlo Rovelli & The ox woman (『牛女』), Ogawa Mimei.
Third week: Keywords of the Japanese mentality: NARU, TSUGI, IKIOI and others.
Readings: The Japanese mind: understanding contemporary Japanese culture, Roger J. Davies & selected passages of the Kojiki.
Fourth week:  Japanese aesthetics and its influence I
Readings: Selected poems of the Manyoshu & The book of tea, Okakura Tenshin.
Fifth week: Japanese aesthetics and its influence II
Readings: Selected poems of Kaneko Misuzu & The Izu dancer (『伊豆の踊子』), Kawabata Yasunari.
Sixth week: The aggressive Japan and the suffering Japan, two sides of the same coin.
Videos: “Momotaro in the WWII”, “The problem of the comfort women” and a testimony of a Hiroshima nuclear-bombing survivor.  
Seventh week: A problem of culture: identity issues after wartime.
Readings: A problem of culture, Mishima Yukio & Beneath the cherry trees (「櫻の樹の下には」), Kajii Motojiro. Video: Patriotism, Mishima Yukio.  
Final exam

Attendance and active participation, written group assignments, group essay and final exam 
Text/Reference
Books,etc.
None. All the materials as well as a bibliography list will be provided by the instructor. 
PC or AV used in
Class,etc.
 
(More Details)  
Learning techniques to be incorporated  
Suggestions on
Preparation and
Review
Students MUST read very carefully all the provided materials before each class.

Workload: 2 credits in Hiroshima =45 hours x 2=90 hour = 3 ECTS
**(Note to European students: A Japanese credit is equivalent to 45 hours of student workload. Thus, 1 credit in Japan will be equivalent to 1.5 ECTS.)

[An estimated amount of workload is 100 hours]
1. Attendance: [4 academic hours x 8 weeks (including site visits)= 30 hours]
2. Homework: (1) Reading assignments [(4 hours x 4) + (2 hours x 6) = 28 hours], (2) Submit several short questionnaires about the materials. [3 hours x 4= 12 hours] Specific due dates will be announced later.

3. Exams: Final exam [Exam preparation =10 hours] and one group final paper (Approximately 8 page paper [2400-3200 words & double spaced in A4 size papers] with appropriate references) [20 hours] for this class evaluation.  
Requirements Instructional Language: Mainly in English
Required English level: TOEFL-PBT/IT 500,TOEFL-iBT 61,   TOEIC 590
Attendance policy: Hiroshima University is enforcing class attendance, reason why you are allowed 1 unexcused absence without question. After that, each unexcused absence will result in a 5% drop in your final grade. NO makeups for a missed exam will be made without a documented excuse. 
Grading Method Attitude towards the class (including attendance) 10%
Written group assignments 30%
Group essay 30%
Final exam 30%

Scores Letter Grade
100-90% =S(秀) Excellent;
89 -80% =A(優)Very Good;
79-70% =B(良)Good;
69-60%=C(可)Fair;
BELOW 59%=D(不可)Fail
 
Practical Experience  
Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it  
Message Credits: 2 credits + ( * 1 credit)
*The student may register for “The Independent Study of Japanese Culture and Peace” for one additional credit.  
Other   
Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes.
Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching. 
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