JAPANESE (JAPN)

Introduction to modern Japanese with text and supplementary materials. Hiragana, katakana, and basic kanji are introduced. Weekly class hours devoted to basic sentence pattern exercises, speaking and writing practice, and creative application. Participation in relevant extracurricular activities encouraged.

Continued beginning course of modern Japanese with text and supplementary materials. Approximately 150 additional kanji are introduced. Focus on basic sentence pattern exercises, speaking and writing practice, and creative application. Participation in relevant extracurricular activities encouraged.

The major genres, aesthetic concepts, and classic and modern works of Japanese literature in English translation.

This course will examine how and why Tokyo emerged as a dominant locale in global mass culture. Students will be introduced to major figures and genres in Japanese pop culture.

Emphasis on situational expressions, mastery of basic structures, and approximately 150 new kanji. Conversation practice, reading and writing of passages, and creative application expected. Participation in relevant extracurricular activities encouraged.

Continued emphasis on situational expressions, mastery of basic structures, and approximately 150 to 200 new kanji. Conversation practice, reading and writing of passages, and creative application expected. Participation in relevant extracurricular activities encouraged.

This course surveys Japanese history and cultural development from the prehistoric period, rich with archaeological evidence, to the reunification of Japan in the late sixteenth century. One major topic is the mythology or and historical evidence for early state formation, including the role that Japan's long "unbroken" history plays in modern debates about national identity, xenophobia, and relations with regional neighbors. Another focus is the emergence of women's literature.

From the 1603 establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate to the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Japan was ruled by the Tokugawa family in an unusual early modern federation, with a balance of power between the warrior government in Edo and the domanial governments spread across the archipelago. This resemblance of this system to the U.S. balance between federal and state power frames our examination of the early modern period.

Tokyo, Japan, became the center of global pornographic culture after the United States occupation ended in 1952. This course will use film, animation, and historical texts to try to understand how and why this happened. Moreover, we will identify how this phenomenon impacted the lives of Japanese men and women.

This course introduces Japanese thoughts and culture through the lens of media cultural studies, and studies socio-cultural issues of Japan through media productions and trends. We will learn about Japan's nationalism and imperialism, gender and family ideologies, post-Bubble economic misery and homelessness, memories of war, feminist and minority struggles, working culture, technology, and post-Fukushima philosophy of survival in film, commercials, print media, news, and TV shows.

Advanced written and spoken Japanese introduced to students who have learned more than 500 kanji. Emphasis is placed on advanced expressions, conversation for a variety of situations, reading and writing longer texts, and approximately 150 additional kanji. Class conducted in Japanese. Participation in relevant extracurricular activities encouraged.

Second semester of third-year Japanese, continuing the study of written and spoken Japanese at the advanced level. Participation in relevant extracurricular activities encouraged.

This course will examine the various expressions of cultural modernity in Japan with a focus on film, literature, and popular culture from 1900 to the end of the Pacific War.

This course reviews the key grammar, vocabulary, and characters from the first three years of Japanese in preparation for the more advanced work of fourth-year elective courses.

Uses newspaper and magazine articles and television broadcasts to introduce journalistic writing and speech as well as contemporary social and cultural issues. Class conducted in Japanese. Participation in relevant extracurricular activities encouraged.

This course introduces students to the popular writing, both fiction and nonfiction, designed for mass-market consumption in contemporary Japan. Class conducted in Japanese. Participation in relevant extracurricular activities encouraged.

Advanced Japanese course designed to develop Japanese skills and deepen appreciation of Japanese cooking. Students will develop the ability to discuss and write about topic-oriented issues in Japanese.

Students will learn a history of postwar Japanese music as an integral part of Japanese society and culture, and try to understand what messages each song attempts to communicate.

This course explores contemporary Japanese language and culture through the pop cultural media of manga and anime. Topics include manga history, production, and various genres of Japanese comic books, manga.

Introduces students to the unique Japanese cultural perspective on sports, while introducing new kanji and grammar structures and improving reading, speaking, and writing abilities.

Students will learn about business culture in Japan, including customs and rules, in order to broaden their understanding of Japanese culture and people, while improving their language skills.

This course helps students to improve their Japanese language skills while developing an understanding of Japanese culture through films and literature. Exercises include reading novels in Japanese, close observation of Japanese films, analysis of cultural context, writing summaries, and frequent discussion.

The primary goal of this course is to prepare students to work, using the Japanese language in their desired occupation, such as in business, teaching at school, research, and so forth.

This course surveys Japanese material culture. Each week we will examine a different genre of visual or material culture in terms of its production, circulation through time and space, and modern deployment in narratives of national identity. This course includes regular engagement with the Ackland Art Museum at UNC.

Explores Japanese culture and society through investigating changing concepts of the human body. Sources include anthropological and history materials, science fiction, and film.

This course explores literary and media art produced by women from various political and social margins of Japan, voiced from their transnational subjectivities. The transnational situations include: immigration, colonialism, diaspora, and international coalition as well as globalizing feminist alliance. By focusing on literature, film, and performance, this course takes an interdisciplinary approach to women's creative political statements.

Possible areas of study include popular culture, business Japanese, and Japanese-English translation. Course may be repeated for credit as topic changes. Participation in relevant extracurricular activities encouraged.

Permission of the department. For the student who wishes to create and pursue an independent project in Japanese under the supervision of a selected instructor. Maximum three credit hours per semester.

Students will improve Japanese language skills while they develop an understanding of Japanese culture through TV dramas. Exercises include intensive listening, reading and analyzing drama scripts, writing summaries, and frequent discussions on various topics.

Introductory linguistic description of modern Japanese. For students of linguistics with no knowledge of Japanese and students of Japanese with no knowledge of linguistics.

Topic varies by instructor. Possible topics include Japanese literature, popular culture, and media. Course may be repeated for credit as topic changes. Participation in relevant extracurricular activities encouraged.