2016/17 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

EAST3290 Japanese Literature and the Search for Postwar Identity

20 creditsClass Size: 50

Module manager: Mark Williams
Email: m.williams@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2016/17

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

Acquaint yourself with a wide variety of works of Japanese fiction of the post-war era (all read in English translation), and learn how to discuss them critically in terms of their cultural, historical and literary significance.

Objectives

Aims of the module:
The aim of this module is to acquaint students with a wide variety of works of Japanese fiction of the Showa period (1925-1989). On completion of this module, students should be able to discuss these works critically in terms of their cultural, historical and literary contexts.

Objectives:
More concrete objectives of the module are to provide students with a range of skills to enable them to meet the more general aims above. Over the course of this module, students should develop their skills in presentation, research methods, critical reading and structuring a sizeable piece of written work. The format of the module is designed to facilitate the development of thee skills, through seminar presentation and discussion, as well as work on a major essay. The emphasis on discussion, both of literary texts and of students presentation papers, is to encourage an open forum where students can explore their own ideas on the topics under construction. (Please note that the module builds logically on the module 'Japanese Literature and Modernity', EAST2276, a module with the same objectives but covering the earlier period, 1870-1930. The current module will pick up where this module leaves off chronologically, but has benn so designed to enable students to take the two modules in either order, depending on the logistics of their timetable, when the respective modules are offered, etc)

Syllabus

Having achieved some kind of accepted status by the 1930s, the Japanese shosetsu (a term not coined until the late 19th century and only loosely translated as 'the novel') underwent further major changes as a result of the build-up to, and experience of, the Pacific War. These changes were closely related to the prominent debates of the day concerning the nature of Japanese identity: not only were these dates closely reflected in the direction assumed by the shosetsu genre during the Showa era (1925-89), but many of the leading works of prose narrative of this period contributed considerably to this debate. During the course of this module, students will be expected to read a wide variety of these texts (in English translation), as well as critical secondary sources. In our reading and discussion of these texts, we will focus on the intellectual and cultural contexts which shaped the literature of the era, developing an understanding of the manner in which this contributed to the ongoing debate on Japan's nationhood.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Seminar	11	2.00	20.00
Private study hours			180.00
Total Contact hours			20.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Preparation for seminars and tutorials
Background reading
Preparation for assessment

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Progress is monitored through participation in regular seminars.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Presentation	seminar presentations	20.00
Essay	3,500 words	75.00
Tutorial Performance	Participation in discussion	5.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 12/01/2016

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