The article "Rewriting the Book on How to Deal with Japan" identifies James Fallows and Karl Van Wolferen (authors of two other assigned articles) as "revisionists". What does this mean? Can a "revisionist" be either gemeinschaft or gesellschaft or both? Are the authors of the assigned reading for the course (Delay; Greenfeld; Addiss) "revisionists" as well? Why / why not? Are their approaches gemeinschaft or gesellschaft? In your opinion, which of these authors, including the "revisionists", is in the best position to explore honne rather than tatemae? Why? Which, if any, seems best able to provide an objective portrait of contemporary Japanese life and culture? Why?  
  

QUIZ TWO (Monday, March 4, 2002):  
  

Discuss your perception of the roles of Buddhism and Shinto in the definition and characterization of contemporary Japanese society. In  your opinion in what areas (if any) within the social arena have these two religious orientations maintained influence? ...lost influence? ...gained influence? Discuss as well reflections of traditional Neo-Confucian norms and standards in contemporary Japanese society. How important, in your view, is Neo-Confucianism in defining Japan's contemporary social orientation?  
  
QUIZ THREE (Friday, March 8, 2002):  
   

If it is only in the light of traditional expectations and social patterns that the code of conduct imposed on contemporary Japanese women can be understood as "reasonable" and "acceptable" (particularly by women themselves), why hasn't there yet been a strong and forceful women's movement in Japan?  

QUIZ FOUR (Wednesday, April 10, 2002):  

Does popular culture in Japan today tend more to reinforce or to undermine contemporary interpretations of traditional cultural values, institutions and/or systems? Does popular culture reflect a rejection of gemeinschaft elite culture or merely a difference in approach to the same cultural and philosophical values? Defend your perceptions with concrete examples.  
  
QUIZ FIVE (Monday, April 22, 2002):  
  

In what ways does the current education system in Japan reflect the influences of the larger society and culture? How are larger social, economic, political and philosophical issues reflected in the educational arena?  

How influential is the current educational system in Japan in areas (economic, political, social, philosophical) other than education? That is to say, in what ways does the educational system exert a formative influence within the larger context of contemporary Japanese culture and society?  

QUIZ SIX (Wednesday, May 1, 2002):  
  
(CHOOSE ONE OF THE TWO TOPICS LISTED BELOW -- OR WRITE ON BOTH WITH ONE DESIGNATED TO REPLACE LOWEST PREVIOUSLY EARNED QUIZ GRADE)   
  

Can gemeinschaft Japan join the gesellschaft international economic order and still maintain her highly-successful economic system? Defend your perceptions with specific examples and instances supportive of your interpretation.