MLO 2: Culture
Outcomes:
2.1. Students develop a comprehensive understanding, appreciation and knowledge of Japanese culture: perspectives (ideas, beliefs, attitudes, values, philosophies), practices (patterns of social interactions) and products (both tangible and intangible, for example, art, history, literature, music).
2.2. Students develop analytical and critical thinking in areas, such as how Japan’s cultural background influences modern Japanese life, how to compare their own culture with the Japanese culture, or how Japanese culture relates to other world cultures in an age of global inter-relatedness.
Courses Taken:
JAPN 302 History of Japan
JAPN 305 Introduction to Japanese Culture and Civilization
JAPN 306 The Japanese Mind
JAPN 308 Japanese Pop-Culture
JAPN 313 Manga, Anime & Modern Japan
JAPN 402 Japanese Literature
Intro to Japanese Folklore
Japan Seen in Real Time
Reflective Narrative:
2.1. This section of MLO 2 is broken into four categories: Knowledge, Evidence, Application, and Synthesis.
1. Knowledge- I took many courses during my time at CSUMB that helped me to achieve to develop my understanding of many different aspects of Japanese culture. For example, JAPN 302 increased our knowledge on Japanese history. We learned about famous figures from Japan's history, including feudal lords such as Oda Nobunaga, and writers such as Murasaki Shikibu. This course went through the many eras of Japanese history including the Meiji Era, which we learned was a time of great modernization, and was also the theme of my final presentation (see Sample 1).
2. Evidence- There were many assignments done in the classes I took that serve as evidence of my learning of the culture. For example, we studied many products of Japanese literature in the JAPN 402 course such as haikus and poems, and learned to create our own works based on traditional Japanese styles of writing (Please visit my JAPN 402 page for samples). Furthermore, we developed our appreciation of Japanese art through JAPN 313, where we studied the unique art of anime and manga. For this course, I created my own manga that addressed social issues we discussed in class, such as hikkikomori (shut-in) and perceived gender roles (see Sample 2).
3. Application- Intro to Japanese Folklore provided me with the most application. I took this class during my study abroad in Japan, and we learned about many topics such as mythology, fairy tales, ghosts and suspicions, holidays, and traditional Japanese customs and beliefs. We were able to apply these aspects to our everyday lives, as our teacher provided us with many chances to experience them firsthand. For example, we visited a local elementary school where we were able to play traditional Japanese games with the students, such as spinning top and fukuwarai (Lucky Laugh). We also visited temples and shrines and learned the proper conduct and way of bowing. Also, for Japanese New Year (oshogatsu), we made our own shime-kazari, which is a traditional Japanese decoration. Furthermore, since I stayed with a host family, I was able to see the topics we learned in class applied in my actual life. For example, on New Year's we had traditional Japanese food (osechiryori) and I received the customary New Year's gift of money (otoshidama). Being able to see the application of my studies in my actual life was a great experience for me.
4. Synthesis- Culture is a broad aspect, with many components such as beliefs, practices, and products. My synthesis of these components can be seen in my final project for JAPN 306 and 308 (more info below). Here, I took all the knowledge I had gathered on Japanese culture throughout the courses, including pop culture, mythology, religion, history, and combined them all into one paper.
2.2. During my first semester at CSUMB, I took both The Japanese Mind (JAPN 306) and Japanese Pop-Culture (JAPN 308). By taking these two in unison, I was able to make connections with traditional Japanese values and modern products. In JAPN 306, we were introduced to the idea of “Collectivism” in Japan, and how Japanese people think of the wellness of the group before themselves. Also, we studied Japan’s national religion, Shintoism, its beliefs, and the history behind it. In JAPN 308, we discussed products of Japanese pop-culture such as anime and manga, their prominence in other countries, and how they gear Japan towards globalization. Thus, for my final project, I decided to do a combined research paper analyzing the effect of the Japanese mind on current pop-culture products in Japan. I analyzed my favorite manga, Naruto, and discussed how themes we learned in JAPN 306 are evident throughout the series (see Sample 3). Throughout the paper, I critically analyzed multiple characters in Naruto and how they represent some sort of aspect of the Japanese mind. Being able to make connections with something entertaining like manga to themes I learned in class not only made learning about Japanese culture enjoyable, but also assisted me in fulfilling this MLO.
2.1. Students develop a comprehensive understanding, appreciation and knowledge of Japanese culture: perspectives (ideas, beliefs, attitudes, values, philosophies), practices (patterns of social interactions) and products (both tangible and intangible, for example, art, history, literature, music).
2.2. Students develop analytical and critical thinking in areas, such as how Japan’s cultural background influences modern Japanese life, how to compare their own culture with the Japanese culture, or how Japanese culture relates to other world cultures in an age of global inter-relatedness.
Courses Taken:
JAPN 302 History of Japan
JAPN 305 Introduction to Japanese Culture and Civilization
JAPN 306 The Japanese Mind
JAPN 308 Japanese Pop-Culture
JAPN 313 Manga, Anime & Modern Japan
JAPN 402 Japanese Literature
Intro to Japanese Folklore
Japan Seen in Real Time
Reflective Narrative:
2.1. This section of MLO 2 is broken into four categories: Knowledge, Evidence, Application, and Synthesis.
1. Knowledge- I took many courses during my time at CSUMB that helped me to achieve to develop my understanding of many different aspects of Japanese culture. For example, JAPN 302 increased our knowledge on Japanese history. We learned about famous figures from Japan's history, including feudal lords such as Oda Nobunaga, and writers such as Murasaki Shikibu. This course went through the many eras of Japanese history including the Meiji Era, which we learned was a time of great modernization, and was also the theme of my final presentation (see Sample 1).
2. Evidence- There were many assignments done in the classes I took that serve as evidence of my learning of the culture. For example, we studied many products of Japanese literature in the JAPN 402 course such as haikus and poems, and learned to create our own works based on traditional Japanese styles of writing (Please visit my JAPN 402 page for samples). Furthermore, we developed our appreciation of Japanese art through JAPN 313, where we studied the unique art of anime and manga. For this course, I created my own manga that addressed social issues we discussed in class, such as hikkikomori (shut-in) and perceived gender roles (see Sample 2).
3. Application- Intro to Japanese Folklore provided me with the most application. I took this class during my study abroad in Japan, and we learned about many topics such as mythology, fairy tales, ghosts and suspicions, holidays, and traditional Japanese customs and beliefs. We were able to apply these aspects to our everyday lives, as our teacher provided us with many chances to experience them firsthand. For example, we visited a local elementary school where we were able to play traditional Japanese games with the students, such as spinning top and fukuwarai (Lucky Laugh). We also visited temples and shrines and learned the proper conduct and way of bowing. Also, for Japanese New Year (oshogatsu), we made our own shime-kazari, which is a traditional Japanese decoration. Furthermore, since I stayed with a host family, I was able to see the topics we learned in class applied in my actual life. For example, on New Year's we had traditional Japanese food (osechiryori) and I received the customary New Year's gift of money (otoshidama). Being able to see the application of my studies in my actual life was a great experience for me.
4. Synthesis- Culture is a broad aspect, with many components such as beliefs, practices, and products. My synthesis of these components can be seen in my final project for JAPN 306 and 308 (more info below). Here, I took all the knowledge I had gathered on Japanese culture throughout the courses, including pop culture, mythology, religion, history, and combined them all into one paper.
2.2. During my first semester at CSUMB, I took both The Japanese Mind (JAPN 306) and Japanese Pop-Culture (JAPN 308). By taking these two in unison, I was able to make connections with traditional Japanese values and modern products. In JAPN 306, we were introduced to the idea of “Collectivism” in Japan, and how Japanese people think of the wellness of the group before themselves. Also, we studied Japan’s national religion, Shintoism, its beliefs, and the history behind it. In JAPN 308, we discussed products of Japanese pop-culture such as anime and manga, their prominence in other countries, and how they gear Japan towards globalization. Thus, for my final project, I decided to do a combined research paper analyzing the effect of the Japanese mind on current pop-culture products in Japan. I analyzed my favorite manga, Naruto, and discussed how themes we learned in JAPN 306 are evident throughout the series (see Sample 3). Throughout the paper, I critically analyzed multiple characters in Naruto and how they represent some sort of aspect of the Japanese mind. Being able to make connections with something entertaining like manga to themes I learned in class not only made learning about Japanese culture enjoyable, but also assisted me in fulfilling this MLO.
Sample 1: Meiji Era Presentation (JAPN 302) | |
File Size: | 9117 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
Sample 2: Final Manga Project (JAPN 313) | |
File Size: | 5895 kb |
File Type: |
Sample 3: Naruto Research Paper (JAPN 306 & 308) | |
File Size: | 583 kb |
File Type: |