This syllabus represents a course of study designed to introduce contemporary Japanese culture and civilization to an audience encountering the formal study of Japan for the first time.    

An analytical examination of the various component parts comprising life in Japan today will be conducted against an historical backdrop and (implicitly) in comparison with contemporary American culture and society; both visual and written resources will be used as source material for our exploration.    

Students should expect to emerge from the course with both an historical understanding of the roots of contemporary Japan and an appreciation of the complexity of modem Japanese life and culture.

SYLLABUS: INTRODUCTION | ASSUMPTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS | OBJECTIVES |   REQUIREMENTS | EVALUATION CRITERIA