2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Humanities and social science courses
Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences29:'Other' Sounds - Music, Minorities, Japan
- Academic unit or major
- Humanities and social science courses
- Instructor(s)
- Hugh Barry Ziani De Ferranti
- Class Format
- Lecture
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - Class
- -
- Course Code
- LAH.S429
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 3Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 19, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This 7-week course is built around a series of case studies of ethnic and cultural groups who use music to sustain their existence as minority ‘Others’ in Japanese society today. At the heart of our study will be the ongoing roles that music and dance play in shaping the nature of minorities and the identities of their individual members, as well as crucially mediating between minorities and ‘mainstream’ Japanese society.
Course description and aims
Students will acquire the following knowledge in this course:
* Various representative definitions and viewpoints on the nature of ethnic and cultural minorities in Japan.
* How music functions to 'produce' individual and group or community identities.
* A set of terms and analytical concepts for thinking about how music shapes a minority ‘community’, both as a whole and internally.
Keywords
ethnic minority, cultural minority, identity, marginalisation, mainstream society
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
1) Students must read the assigned writings and listen to assigned music extracts in advance of each class.
2) Working in pairs, small groups or on their own, students prepare a final paper to be submitted by Week 7. In the case of groupwork, each individual student must contribute a distinct section of the paper that is at least 1200 words long (NOT counting the References).
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Introduction to the course; concerning ethnic and cultural minorities in Japan, and their specific circumstances in C20th and C21st society | Discussion of participants’ knowledge and experience of ethnic and cultural minorities in Japan and their music-making |
| Class 2 | Case studies: Okinawan and Amami music-making | Returning class members will be assigned set pages of readings to prepare questions and comments about. |
| Class 3 | Case study: Music and the Filipine diaspora in Japan | With respect to page numbers in the readings, students prepare questions and comments. |
| Class 4 | DUE date for 400-word short draft/outline of planned paper Case study: Music and the Chinese diaspora in Japan | Minimum 400-word draft outline of the term paper, including principal References. |
| Class 5 | Case study: music and Korean Japanese (Japanese Koreans) | With respect to page numbers in the readings, students prepare questions and comments. |
| Class 6 | Case study: Ainu music and dance. Due date for first draft of paper. | With respect to page numbers in the readings, students prepare questions and comments. |
| Class 7 | Review and informal sharing of students' investigation findings。Due date for final version of paper. | Informal presentations by individuals or groups on their findings. Submit paper that demonstrates understanding of some of the concepts and methods studied in readings. |
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 course material pdfs on T2 Schola.
Textbook(s)
none
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Copies of reading materials will be provided by the instructor.
Evaluation methods and criteria
1st draft of paper 20%
final paper (minimum length for each student 1200 words not counting References)
80% for those who did not
Related courses
- LAH.S428 ： Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences28: 'Our' Sounds - Music, Society, Community
- TAL.L403 ： Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences28: 'Our' Sounds - Music, Society, Community (Leadership)
Prerequisites
Neither prior experience of the discipline of Musicology nor advanced knowledge of music theory is required. (If you are uncertain about this aspect, please ask the instructor by email before the class begins.) What IS required is an ability to listen deeply, a genuine love of music and an earnest desire to understand why human beings cannot live without it, as well as how we can think, talk and write about music coherently. Ability to read and discuss academic texts in English is also needed.