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 HIS 373/573,
CONTEMPORARY JAPAN
IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
CLASS SCHEDULE

EXPLORATIONS OF JAPANESE SOCIETY  
(EIGHT SESSIONS) 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2002:
SOCIOLOGY OF THE FAMILY  

LECTURE AND DISCUSSION: Family Life  

RESEARCH ESSAY TOPIC AND ROLE PLAY CHOICES DUE  

READING:

"Tats: The Speed Tribes", Chapter II in SPEED, pages 17 - 46.

Masayuki Yoshida, "Giri: An Indigenous Japanese Concept", October 8, 1996 

ARTICLES:
  • "New Words Capture Image Of Japanese Farnily" (The Japan Times Weekly, January 21 - 27, 1991: 2 pages)
  • "Who Needs Love? In Japan, Many Couples Don't" (The New York Times, 1997: 4 pages)

INTERNET DISCUSSIONS TWO, FOUR AND FIVE CLOSED  

INTERNET DISCUSSION SIX (SOCIETY) OPEN

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2002:  
RURAL LIFE   VIDEO: Farm Song  
 
READING:
   ARTICLES:
 
  • three selections from Junichi Saga, Memories of Straw and Silk (Tokyo: Kodansha, 1987): 7 pages
  • "Expert Hagiwara Vitalizes Rural Villages" (The Japan Times Weekly, April 25 - 31, 1994: 1 page)
  • "Tokyo Lights Lure the Young to Forsake Rural Way of Life" " (The New York Times, January 2, 1997: 2 pages)
    •      MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002:  
    RURAL LIFE II   LECTURE AND DISCUSSION: Life in Countryside -- Changing Realities

    WRITING SKILLS ASSESSMENT PROJECT DUE     WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2002:  
    URBAN LIFE STYLES I   VIDEO: Neighborhood Tokyo  

    READING:
          

    ARTICLES:
     
  • "Tokyo Neighborhood Offers The Good Life" (The Japan Times Weekly, August 6 - 12, 1990: 1 page)
  • "Japanese Say No to Crime: Tough Measures at a Price" " (The New York Times, May 14, 1995: 6 pages)
    •      FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2002:  
    URBAN LIFE STYLES II   DISCUSSION: : Urban Expectations and Realities  

    READING:

    "Izumi: The Money-Drinkers" and "Dai: The Motorcycle Thief", Chapters I and III in SPEED, pages 1 - 16 and 47 - 84.     MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2002:  
    THE JAPANESE WOMAN: DEFINITIONS AND PRACTICES   DISCUSSION of Assigned Readings

    INTERNET WEB SITES:
    Andrew Gordon, "From Modern Girls to Parasites: The Enduring Discourse of Women in Japan", Tsushin (Vol. 7, No. 2), Fall 2001. 

    J.     Sean Curtin, et. al., "Parasite Singles: International Perspective and Analysis", email correspondence (August 2001).

    QUIZ TWO (SOCIETY) DUE

    WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2002:  
    "DREAM GIRLS" - A VIDEO EXPLORATION

    FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2002:
    ISSUES OF GENDER AND SEXUALITY
    QUIZ THREE (WOMEN) DUE
    READING: "Choco Bon-Bon and Emi: The Perfect Tuna", "Keiko: The Early Breakfast Club" and "Jackie: The Hostess", Chapters IV, V and X in SPEED, pages 85 - 114, 115 - 146 and 227 - 244.

    MONDAY, MARCH 11, 2002:  
    NO SCHEDULED CLASS (SPRING RECESS)

    WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2002:  
    NO SCHEDULED CLASS (SPRING RECESS)

    FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2002:  
    NO SCHEDULED CLASS (SPRING RECESS)

      CLASS SCHEDULE:
    |         THINKING ABOUT JAPAN | CODES OF CONDUCT | SOCIETY | POPULAR CULTURE | CULTURAL HERITAGE | THE POSTMODERN | EDUCATION, THE ECONOMY AND POLITICS | CONCLUDING THE COURSE OF STUDY |

    This site has been prepared by Lee A. Makela for the use of students at Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, who are enrolled in HIS 373/573, Contemporary Japan in Historical Perspective during the Spring Semester of the 2001 - 2002 Academic Year; please contact him with any comments by email at l.makela@csuohio.edu.  
     last revised: March 1, 2002