From Masako’s Journal:

JAPANESE LITERATURE IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION

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This course fulfills writing enrichment, diversity 3, and core requirement for advanced literature. Also, it is counted toward a minor= in Japanese. The course has the = WebCT (distance learning) component.

COURSE SUMMARY:

The goal of this course is to understand the main themes of Japanese literature from its beginning to contemporary period. The cour= se introduces the masterpieces of Japanese literature and gives the students a better understanding and appreciation of Japanese culture and society throu= gh reading literary works. Inclu= ding are many excellent translations of a wide variety of Japanese literary form= s: novel, short story, poetry, drama, etc.&nb= sp; Lady Murasaki’s The Ta= le of Genji, the world masterpiece, will be discussed. The works by Kawabata Yasunari and= Oe Kenzaburo, both of whom received Nobel Prize for literature will be introdu= ced in the class. Summary of the lectures are available online.

Writing assignments(ten pages= in total) on literary topics will be given.&n= bsp; The students may choose the topics.= According to the detailed guidelines, the students will learn how to write a scholarly paper in the field.

CLASS PROCEDURE:

The course is conducted in English. The participation of= all students in class discussion and readings of required material are essential for a successful semester. The students should read the assigned pages from the textbook and the reading material online or by each date indicated in the schedule below. This is a writing enrichment course: the students will revise their writing assignmen= ts in response to evaluative feedback from the instructor or possibly a peer-review. The students are required to write a paper/papers (total 10 pages; typed, double-spaced with= bibliography) on the subjects of their choices. &nb= sp; A bibliographical instruction will be given by the librarian and a w= riting review session will be conducted in class.

The Mid-Term exam consists of= short questions on topics that students studied during the first half of the semester. At least one indivi= dual session will be held in the instructor’s office.

Guest speakers will be invite= d to class. Also, the class will participate in cultural events and activities related to Japanese literatur= e.

TEXTBOOKS:

Required: = Donald Keene, ed., Modern Ja= panese Literature (Grove Weidenfeld, 1956)

= &nb= sp; Natsume Soseki, Kokoro (= Kodansha International, 1972)

Recommended: Ivan Morris, ed., Modern Japanese Stories: An Anthology(Tuttle, 1962)

Supplementary materials will = be distributed in class.

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= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; BUNRAKU THEATER

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