The material on this page is from the 2000-01 catalog and may be out of date. Please check the current year's catalog for current information.

Japanese [For more information about major requirements, see German, Russian, and East Asian Languages and Literature] Japanese is one of the leading languages of the Pacific Rim and is rapidly becoming an international language in its own right. Japanese is also the medium of an enduring, complex, and constantly developing culture to which the rest of the world has repeatedly turned for insight and understanding. The major in Japanese offers an opportunity for an in-depth and focused study of Japanese language and culture. The major places emphasis on the student's acquisition of oral and written language proficiency as well as on the development of cultural awareness and competency. The department strongly recommends that majors spend their junior year at the Associated Kyoto Program or some other departmentally recognized two-semester study abroad program in Japan. Together with the major in Chinese, this major replaces the former major in East Asian Languages and Cultures. Students wishing to pursue a broadly based, interdisciplinary study of East Asia should consult the listings for the East Asian Studies major in the Program in Asian Studies. Major Requirements. The major consists of a minimum of twelve courses, which must include: a) Japanese 101–102, 201–202, 301–302, or the equivalent; b) Japanese 240 and Chinese 207; c) two courses from the following: Japanese 208, 250, s25, s26, s32, Chinese s30, or one from this list and an additional course on the literature of another culture; d) either Japanese 401 or 402; and e) a senior thesis project, Japanese 457 or 458, completed in the senior year. Students are expected to utilize some source materials in Japanese when conducting research for the thesis. Qualified students are encouraged to write in Japanese. Note that students may petition the department to have courses taken in their study abroad program (including the Bates Fall Semester Abroad) applied toward the fulfillment of requirements a) and c). Pass/Fail Grading Option. Pass/fail grading may be elected for courses applied toward the major or secondary concentration. Courses 101–102. Beginning Japanese I and II. An introduction to the basics of spoken and written Japanese as a foundation for advanced study and proficiency in the language. Fundamental patterns of grammar and syntax are introduced together with a practical, functional vocabulary. Mastery of the katakana and hiragana syllabaries as well as approximately 140 written characters introduce students to the beauty of written Japanese. Staff. 201–202. Intermediate Japanese I and II. A continuation of Japanese 102, the course stresses the acquisition of new and more complex spoken patterns, vocabulary building, and increasing knowledge of cultural context through use of role play, video, and varied reading materials. One hundred sixty written characters are introduced. A range of oral as well as written projects and exercises provide a realistic context for language use. Prerequisite(s): Japanese 102. Open to first-year students. K. Ofuji. 208. Modern Japanese Literature: Texts and Contexts. This course is an introduction to key texts and ideas of Japanese literature from Meiji Ishin (1868) to the present. A major premise of the course is that understanding literary works requires consideration of two different sorts of contexts: that of their production and that of their consumption. Topics for discussion include: How is the development of a unified written language related to the construction of the modern nation? Can autobiographical fiction have social or political significance? What might it mean to read Japanese literature in an American classroom? Readings include literary, historical, and critical works. Conducted in English. Open to first-year students. M. Wender. 210. Heterogeneous Japan. Scholars of Japan have long portrayed Japan as culturally homogenous. In recent years, however, people in and outside the academy have begun to challenge this assumption. In this course, students examine autobiography, fiction, and films that foreground Japan's ethnic, regional, and socioeconomic diversity. Readings also may include historical and analytical essays and theoretical works on the relationship of modernity, national identity, and narrative. Conducted in English. Open to first-year students. M. Wender. New course for 2001-2002. 240. Japanese Literature: A Survey. This course examines major trends in the history of Japanese literature from its beginnings up to the Tokugawa period. Particular attention is paid to thematic and cultural issues such as class, gender, and the role of women as producers of literary culture. Through selected readings and discussion, students consider a range of genres including popular tales, poetry collections, diaries, narrative fiction, and drama. Conducted in English. Open to first-year students. S. Strong. 250. Modern Japanese Women's Literature. In its beginnings, Japanese literature was considered a female art; the greatest writers of the classical period were women, while men at times assumed a female persona in order to write. After a brief introduction to the classical tradition, this course examines how twentieth-century writers have positioned themselves with regard to this female literary legacy. In addition, students consider issues such as family, power, gender roles, selfhood, and the female body that have been of primary concern to women writers working both within and outside the traditional female canon. Authors may include Enchi Fumiko, Ohba Minako, Tsushima Yuko, Yamada Eimi, Yoshimoto Banana and others. Conducted in English. Open to first-year students. S. Strong. 290. Nature in East Asian Literature. How have poets and other writers in Japan and China portrayed, valued, and responded to the myriad phenomena that Western tradition calls "nature"? What ideas have they used to construct the relationship between human beings and the environment? Do their views offer the modern world a possible antidote to its environmental ills? Are these views too deeply conditioned by Asian traditions to be understood in the West? This course looks closely at several works from Japanese and Chinese traditions whose authors pay particular attention to the relationship between the self and the physical world the self observes. Specific writers may include Hitomaro, Saigyô Kamo no Chomei, Bashô, Li Po, and Wang Wei. This course is the same as Environmental Studies 290. S. Strong. 301–302. Intermediate Japanese III and IV. The course completes the introduction of essential Japanese syntactic forms and sentence patterns. Students continue development of oral skills while emphasis is placed on increased competence in the written language. Two hundred new characters are introduced. Prerequisite(s): Japanese 202. M. Wender 360. Independent Study. Independent study of individually selected topics. Periodic conferences and papers are required. Permission of the department is required. Students are limited to one independent study per semester. Staff. 401. Advanced Japanese I. Through the discussion and study of contemporary literary texts and other journalistic modes, the course seeks to utilize, develop, and integrate skills acquired in the earlier stages of language learning. Particular emphasis is placed on reading and writing and on the acquisition of written characters. Through class discussion students expand their understanding of Japanese culture. Students write a research paper as a final project. Prerequisite(s): Japanese 302. K. Ofuji. 402. Advanced Japanese II. Through the discussion of materials in Japanese such as newspaper articles, other media material, and short stories, the course seeks to utilize, develop, and integrate skills acquired in the earlier stages of language learning. Particular emphasis is placed on increasing the student's range of oral and written competency and on the acquisition of written characters. Class discussion involves issues of both Japanese and global cultures. Prerequisite(s): Japanese 401. K. Ofuji. 457, 458. Senior Thesis. An extended research or translation project on a topic in Japanese literature, culture, or language utilizing some source materials in Japanese. Qualified students may choose to write the thesis in Japanese. Before registering for either 457 or 458, the student should consult with his or her advisor and submit a concise description of the proposed project as well as a tentative bibliography. Students register for Japanese 457 in the fall semester and for Japanese 458 in the winter semester, unless the department gives approval for a two-semester project. Majors writing an honors thesis register for Japanese 457 and 458. Staff. Short Term Units s22. Intensive Japanese Language and Culture. This unit develops the communicative skills and cultural awareness for the intermediate Japanese language student. Emphasis is placed on discussion and vocabulary building, as well as on listening and reading comprehension. Films, short readings, and guest speakers familiarize students with aspects of contemporary Japanese culture. This unit is strongly recommended for students preparing for a junior year or semester in Japan. Prerequisite(s): Japanese 202. Enrollment limited to 30. S. Strong. s25. Haiku Poetry. Matsuo Bashô (1644–1694) is one of Japan's most celebrated poets. As a haikai master he led group compositions in linked verse (renga), in addition to writing the seventeen-syllable hokku for which he is best known. His travel diaries represent a landmark in the history of Japanese literature. This unit explores the background and nature of the haikai genre, with particular attention to Bashô's outstanding achievement. Students of Japanese language are encouraged to do some guided reading in the original. Recommended background: Japanese 240 and History 172. Conducted in English. Enrollment limited to 25. S. Strong. s26. Japanese Popular Culture. Texts include theoretical writings on consumer culture and the mass media; anthropological writings on Japanese culture; and a number of primary texts, including novels, comics, films, and television animation. Discussion topics include sexuality and violence in animation, ethnic consciousness in the fashion industry, and Japan's global technological prowess and science fiction. Enrollment limited to 30. M. Wender. s50. Individual Research. Registration in this unit is granted by the department only after the student has submitted a written proposal for a full-time research project to be completed during the Short Term and has secured the sponsorship of a member of the department to direct the study and evaluate the results. Students are limited to one individual research unit. Staff.