2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Japanese language and culture courses
Japanese Culture:Japanology
- Academic unit or major
- Japanese language and culture courses
- Instructor(s)
- Hilofumi Yamamoto
- Class Format
- Exercise (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 1-2 Mon
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- LAJ.C201
- Number of credits
- 010
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 19, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
Learn techniques to introduce and advanced Japanese expressions through expertise in each area related to Japan.
The topics are Japanese Showa history and its culture, or the relationship between traditional Japanese fairy tales and the modern language.
Course description and aims
To become acquainted with the convincing Japanese way of speaking and to be able to explain Japanese related areas.
Keywords
History of Japanese literature, classical literature, modern literature, picture-story show, mass entertainment, the high economic growth era, history of Showa, Japanese songs, nursely rhymes, and Japanese folktales.
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Topics change in every lesson. Every lesson contains examples and questions for group discussions. Students must attend every class. A final report is the most essential.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Orientation: Kamishibai (picture-story show), or fairytale (1) | Make plans for a picture-story show to present the theme of Japanese popular culture. |
| Class 2 | Crazy Cats and High Economic Growth Era, or fairytale (2) | Compare the salaried worker of the culture of the high economic growth era with the current salaried worker. |
| Class 3 | Akira Kurosawa and the world of Japanese movies, or fairytale (3) | Learn about Japanese film history. |
| Class 4 | Always ”Sunset of Sanchome” and Showa Culture, or fairytale (4) | Learn Showa in the movie. |
| Class 5 | "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" and Yasutaka Tsutsui, or fairytale (5) | Learn about the history of Japanese literature. |
| Class 6 | What are the Ultraman and the monster boom, or fairytale (6) | Learn TV culture and children's play |
| Class 7 | Perform a storyboard act, or a parody version of a folk fairy tale. | Play a 5-minute picture show and talk about Japanese cultural history. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
None.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
None.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Attendance, examinations and reports each with confirmation that they are sufficient, The distribution of the scores will be weighted as follows: 20% for assignments, 65% for written tests, and 15% for presentations.
Related courses
- LAJ.C101 ： Japanese Culture : Society
- LAJ.C102 ： Japanese Culture : Adaptation
- LAJ.C103 ： Japanese Culture : Arts
- LAJ.J101 ： Japanese 1A
- LAJ.J102 ： Japanese 1B
- LAJ.J103 ： Japanese 2A
- LAJ.J104 ： Japanese 2B
- LAJ.J201 ： Japanese 3A
- LAJ.J202 ： Japanese 3B
Prerequisites
Students who have studied Japanese in the first grade have a priority to attend this lecture.
Because of group work, I do not accept the registration in the middle of the quarter.
Office hours
Contact by email: yamagen[at]ila.titech.ac.jp
Other
Students other than international students are not allowed to attend.
This course may be transferred to Liberal Arts Courses 100, 200, or 300.