JK33001 Introduction-Focus I Seminar (VMC) A
| Numbering Code | Year/Term | 2022 ・ First semester | |
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| Number of Credits | 2 | Course Type | Seminar |
| Target Year | Target Student | ||
| Language | English | Day/Period | Tue.3 |
| Instructor name | Bjorn-Ole Kamm (Graduate School of Letters Senior Lecturer) | ||
| Outline and Purpose of the Course |
************* IMPORTANT: Depending on the pandemic situation, this class will be offered in an online or hybrid format. Please check “Class support” or PandA for detailed information. 注意：パンデミック状況により、本科目はオンライン・ハイブリッド形式で提供される予定です。詳しくは「授業サポート」またはPandAをご確認ください。 ************* Japanese popular media practices play not only in Japan a significant role in the everyday lives of many people. The course investigates various elements of this popular and consumer culture, such as manga, anime, or games, from a transcultural perspective. This practice-oriented and interactive seminar focuses on theoretical concepts and analytical techniques practical to engage transculturality in the cross-disciplinary research fields of visual, material, and media culture. Research into (sub-/pop-) cultures, for example, fan studies, often focuses either on the content or on the communities of fandom, at times essentializing involved persons or drawing borders around highly interconnected and dynamic things. However, cultural practices are performative, meaning that they exist through "doing," through recreating, tracing the network of involved human and non-human elements. Borrowing from Wittgenstein, Foucault, and many others, the course revisits key readings for a transcultural approach dealing with visual practices, such as cosplay and media content, for example, cultural representations of nationality or gender. Questions of production, reception, and appropriation by users in and outside Japan form the second point of departure. The theoretical input forms the basis for practical exercises in applying these methodologies to concrete cases. The course primarily addresses JDTS and MATS students of the VMC focus in their first semester but also welcomes students in their second year who are about to define their MA thesis topic. The course requires students to actively participate, do regular written homework and occasionally work in teams. It does not include a written term paper (see ECTS requirements below!), but several written short pieces and a project report instead. Study Focus: Visual, Media and Material Culture. Modules: Introduction to Transcultural Studies. |
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| Course Goals |
The course seeks to establish an understanding of theories of transculturality, entertainment, and user agency and various angles of research methodology useful for the study of visual and media practices. Building on a Wittgensteinian approach to cultural practices, students will acquire knowledge and skills in how to develop a matching research design for studies sensitive to the role of actors and materials alike. Students will apply key methodologies to contemporary cases studies, such as cyber-ethnography of fans, qualitative visual and textual analysis of manga, or the analysis of discourses surrounding the physical embodiment of fictional characters. The course aims to assist students in taking the leap to a position of knowledge production and thus focuses on practical exercises and training in academic presentation skills. |
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| Schedule and Contents |
The following general structure will guide the schedule of course sessions. A detailed plan for each class will be determined depending on the number of and the feedback from the participants, and will be announced in class. (1) The first sessions introduce students to actor, network, and practice theories and appropriate methods for studying popular and sub-cultural practices. [Weeks 1-5] (2) The class decides on a shared question for project investigations, a specific object, and appropriate methods. As networks of humans and artifacts (media), popular culture often necessitates analyses of contents as well as "users." Accordingly, and if the number of participants permits, the class is divided into different project groups (e.g., text analysis, ethnography, cyber-ethnography), working on the same question from different angles (triangulation). [Weeks 6-10] (3) Employing an e-learning environment (forums, journals), the groups plan and execute the projects under the instructor's supervision. Finally, the groups present results and discuss problems and achievements according to the overall study question. [Weeks 11-15] The lectures, individual preparations (homework/feedback), and group projects will figure 1/3 of the course each. |
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| Evaluation Methods and Policy | All students: Homework (20%), project work, presentation and report (50%), feedback (10%), active participation (20%). For a full seminar (8 ECTS): A research paper (counting 30% of the overall grade). | ||
| Course Requirements |
3rd year or above (3回生以降). |
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| Study outside of Class (preparation and review) | Participants need to prepare one reading before each in-class session and are asked to write short comprehension essays afterwards. During project phases, participants will conduct group work and submit meeting protocols afterwards. Preparation and review require at least one hour. | ||
| References, etc. |
The course materials as well as lecture slides will be made available via the course webpage. The course takes some guiding ideas from “Inside-out Japan? Popular culture and globalization in the context of Japan,”by Matthew Allen & Rumi Sakamoto. 2006. Popular Culture, Globalization and Japan. London & New York: Routledge. pp.1-12. Reading their introduction/book is not mandatory but the chapter may be obtained prior to the course by contacting the instructor. |
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