Cultural Anthropology B

Academic unit or major

Humanities and social science courses

Instructor(s)

Maho Isono

Class Format

Lecture (Face-to-face)

Media-enhanced courses

-

Day of week/Period
(Classrooms)

1-2 Mon / 1-2 Thu

Class

-

Course Code

LAH.H203

Number of credits

200

Course offered

2026

Offered quarter

2Q

Syllabus updated

Mar 5, 2026

Language

Japanese

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

If you're a young person living in modern Japan, you've probably asked yourself questions like "What does it mean to be myself?" "Who am I?" or "What do I want to do?" Conversely, you may have received advice centered on "you," such as "Find your true self" or "What do you want to do?"

That said, what is the self? How can one be true to oneself? Where is the "self" when searching for "what I want to do?"

Cultural anthropology, which has explored human universality through human diversity, has accumulated a wealth of discussions and materials on the self. What becomes clear from these accumulations is that societies that question "one's true self" to this extent are extremely rare in human history.

In this course, we will connect these insights from cultural anthropology with ongoing phenomena to explore the mystery of the self—something so familiar, yet something that becomes a quagmire when you start thinking about it. Does an "irreplaceable self" exist? If so, how can we find it?

Course description and aims

Students will be able to develop multiple perspectives for deepening their understanding of the "self."

Students will be able to apply insights from cultural anthropology about the "self" to their daily lives.

Keywords

personhood theory, culture, society

Competencies

• Specialist skills
• Intercultural skills
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

Materials that serve as opportunities to deepen thinking about the "self" and reading materials related to them will be distributed. Based on these, the class will proceed with discussions among students. While there will be lectures, greater emphasis will be placed on learning through dialogue among students and with the instructor.

Course schedule/Objectives

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)

Reading materials will be distributed in class

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Reading materials will be distributed in class

Evaluation methods and criteria

*Reading assignments (40%) and submission of a post-class reflection sheet (60%).**
*Late arrivals will result in a point deduction (because they negatively affect other students’ learning and the flow of the class).**

Related courses

• LAH.H103 ： Cultural Anthropology A
• LAH.H303 ： Cultural Anthropology C
• LAH.S446 ： Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences55:Cultural Anthropology

Prerequisites

N/A

Other

I may make changes to the syllabus depending on the progress of the course and students’ level of understanding. While the overall theme of focusing on the self will remain the same, there is a strong possibility that the subtopics will change, so please be aware of this in advance.