JAPN 254
Beauty, Danger, and the End of the World in Japanese Literature Fall 2012
Division I
Cross-listed COMP 264
This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

From the endemic warfare of the medieval era to the atomic bombing and the violent explosion of technology in the last century, the end of the world is an idea which has occupied a central place in almost every generation of Japanese literature. Paradoxically, the spectacle of destruction has given birth to some of the most beautiful, most moving, and most powerfully thrilling literature in the Japanese tradition. Texts may be drawn from medieval war narratives like The Tale of the Heike; World War II fiction and films by Ibuse Masuji, Imamura Shôhei, and Ichikawa Kon; fantasy and science fiction novels by Abe Kôbô, Murakami Haruki and Murakami Ryû; and apocalyptic comics and animation by Oshii Mamoru, Ôtomo Katsuhiro, and others. The class and the readings are in English; no familiarity with Japanese language or culture is required.
The Class: Format: lecture/discussion
Limit: none
Expected: 15
Class#: 1369
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: in-class exam, ungraded creative project, and a few short response assignments, plus two 5- to 7-page papers emphasizing original, creative readings of the literary texts
Prerequisites: none; open to all
Unit Notes: this course is part of the Gaudino Initiative on Danger
Distributions: Division I
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
COMP 264 Division I JAPN 254 Division I
Attributes: INST East Asian Studies Electives

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