Courses

JPN 101. Beginning Japanese I.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. Normally offered every year. B. Steininger, S. Strong.Concentrations.  |   Interdisciplinary Programs.

JPN 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. Normally offered every year. B. Steininger, S. Strong.Concentrations.  |   Interdisciplinary Programs.

JPN 102. Beginning Japanese II.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. Normally offered every year. B. Steininger, S. Strong.Concentrations.  |   Interdisciplinary Programs.

AS/JA 125. Japanese Literature and Society.This course examines major trends in Japanese literature and society from its beginnings to the modern period. Students consider well-known stories, plays, and novels from the classical, medieval, early modern, and modern periods, placing each text within its unique sociohistorical context. All readings are in English. [W2] Normally offered every year. S. Strong.Concentrations.

JPN 201. Intermediate Japanese I.A continuation of JPN 102, the course stresses the acquisition of new and more complex spoken patterns, vocabulary building, and increasing knowledge of cultural context through use of calligraphy, role play, video, and varied reading materials. One hundred fifty Chinese characters are introduced. A range of oral as well as written projects and exercises provide a realistic context for language use. Prerequisite(s): JPN 102. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every year. K. Ofuji.Concentrations.  |   Interdisciplinary Programs.

JPN 201-202. Intermediate Japanese I and II.A continuation of JPN 102, the course stresses the acquisition of new and more complex spoken patterns, vocabulary building, and increasing knowledge of cultural context through use of calligraphy, role play, video, and varied reading materials. One hundred fifty Chinese characters are introduced. A range of oral as well as written projects and exercises provide a realistic context for language use. Prerequisite(s): JPN 102. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every year. K. Ofuji.Concentrations.  |   Interdisciplinary Programs.

JPN 202. Intermediate Japanese II.A continuation of JPN 102, the course stresses the acquisition of new and more complex spoken patterns, vocabulary building, and increasing knowledge of cultural context through use of calligraphy, role play, video, and varied reading materials. One hundred fifty Chinese characters are introduced. A range of oral as well as written projects and exercises provide a realistic context for language use. Prerequisite(s): JPN 102. Open to first-year students. Normally offered every year. K. Ofuji.Concentrations.  |   Interdisciplinary Programs.

AS/JA 216. The Tale of Genji.The eleventh-century Tale of Genji, written by an imperial lady-in-waiting, is Japan's most famous literary classic. Though it is usually lauded as a romance with universal appeal, it can sharply contradict the modern reader's expectations about love, gender, and literature itself. Students delve into these contradictions as well as topics including the fact and fantasy of the "world of the Shining Prince," whether the Tale is a "novel," and the narrative's Chinese influences. They also examine the Tale's place in Japanese cultural history through important artistic adaptations and critical reactions. Recommended background: prior course work in Asian studies or English. Enrollment limited to 30. B. Steininger.Concentrations.

AS/JA 220. The Myth of the Samurai.The samurai, the sword-wielding warrior with his strict bushido code of honor, is one of the most enduring images of Japan, both in the West and among the Japanese themselves. This course acquaints students with the decidedly less glamorous reality of the samurai. Students explore the myths surrounding the warrior through medieval war tales, Noh and Kabuki plays, short stories, and intellectual writings. Discussions focus on the shifting meanings invested in the image of the samurai by different writers and audiences over the centuries. Recommended background: one course in Japanese culture, history, or language. Conducted in English. Not open to students who have received credit for AS/JA 310 or JPN 310. Enrollment limited to 25. Staff.Concentrations.

INDS 255. Modern Japanese Women Writers.How do Japanese women writers of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries portray the complexities of today's world? How do they negotiate the gendered institutions of the society in which they live? What values do they assign to being a woman, to being Japanese? Students consider issues such as family, power, gender roles, selfhood, and the female body in reading a range of novels, short stories, and poems. Authors may include Enchi Fumiko, Ohba Minako, Kurahashi Yumiko, Tsushima Yuko, Tawara Machi, Yamada Eimi, and Yoshimoto Banana. Readings and discussion are in English. Cross-listed in Asian studies, Japanese, and women and gender studies. Not open to students who have received credit for JA/WS 255. Open to first-year students. [W2] S. Strong.Concentrations.  |   Interdisciplinary Programs.

JPN 301. Intermediate Japanese III.The course completes the introduction of essential Japanese syntactic forms and sentence patterns. Students continue development of oral skills and emphasis is placed on increased competence in the written language. Two hundred new characters are introduced. Prerequisite(s): JPN 202. Normally offered every year. Staff.Concentrations.  |   Interdisciplinary Programs.

JPN 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 and emphasis is placed on increased competence in the written language. Two hundred new characters are introduced. Prerequisite(s): JPN 202. Normally offered every year. Staff.Concentrations.  |   Interdisciplinary Programs.

JPN 302. Intermediate Japanese IV.The course completes the introduction of essential Japanese syntactic forms and sentence patterns. Students continue development of oral skills and emphasis is placed on increased competence in the written language. Two hundred new characters are introduced. Prerequisite(s): JPN 202. Normally offered every year. S. Strong.Concentrations.  |   Interdisciplinary Programs.

JPN 360. Independent Study.Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study per semester. Normally offered every semester. Staff.

JPN 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 translation. Through class presentations and discussion students further develop oral skills and expand their understanding of Japanese culture. Prerequisite(s): JPN 302. Normally offered every year. K. Ofuji, S. Strong.Concentrations.  |   Interdisciplinary Programs.

JPN 402. Advanced Japanese II.This course covers materials in Japanese such as newspaper articles, other media material, and short stories. Through presentations and discussions students utilize, develop, and integrate spoken skills acquired in the earlier stages of language learning. Written skills are also emphasized; normally students complete a final research project on a topic of their choice. Students taking this course in conjunction with the thesis should also register for JPN 458. Prerequisite(s): JPN 401. Normally offered every year. B. Steininger, Staff.Concentrations.  |   Interdisciplinary Programs.

JPN 457. Senior Thesis.An extended research project on a topic in Japanese literature, culture, or language utilizing some source materials in Japanese. Qualified students may, with approval of the Committee on Asian Studies, choose to write the thesis in Japanese. Students register for 457 in the fall semester or for 458 in the winter semester unless the committee gives approval for a two-semester project. Majors invited to pursue honors register for 457 and 458, contingent on the approval of the committee. [W3] Normally offered every year. Staff.

JPN 457, 458. Senior Thesis.An extended research project on a topic in Japanese literature, culture, or language utilizing some source materials in Japanese. Qualified students may, with approval of the Committee on Asian Studies, choose to write the thesis in Japanese. Students register for 457 in the fall semester or for 458 in the winter semester unless the committee gives approval for a two-semester project. Majors invited to pursue honors register for 457 and 458, contingent on the approval of the committee. [W3] Normally offered every year. Staff.

JPN 458. Senior Thesis.An extended research project on a topic in Japanese literature, culture, or language utilizing some source materials in Japanese. Qualified students may, with approval of the Committee on Asian Studies, choose to write the thesis in Japanese. Students register for 457 in the fall semester or for 458 in the winter semester unless the committee gives approval for a two-semester project. Majors invited to pursue honors register for 457 and 458, contingent on the approval of the committee. [W3] Normally offered every year. Staff.

JA/WS s21. Geisha Fantasy: Representations of an Icon.This course examines the stereotypes of the cultural category of geisha in film, literature, visual culture, and the performing arts. Students locate the discourse surrounding the geisha in both Japan and the United States, which leads to themes of "orientalism" (differentiating self and other in a way that hierarchizes the self), "self-orientalism," and nihonjinron (doctrine of a Japanese essence). Students focus on historical contexts in which the category of geisha was formed and developed largely as a projection of male desire and male fantasy, and explore the homogenizing and dichotomizing of racial and sexual identities in the construction of the geisha. Conducted in English. Staff.Concentrations.

AS/JA s27. Hiroshima and Nagasaki.The technologies of the industrial and postindustrial age have made possible a scale of destruction that seems impossible for human beings either to grasp or perhaps even to survive. Japan is the only nation to have experienced attack by atomic weapons. What is the role of art, literature, film, and journalism in expressing the "inexpressible" and possibly preventing its reoccurrence? This course examines Japanese and Korean responses to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Conducted in English. Enrollment limited to 30. S. Strong.Concentrations.

ES/JA s29. Haiku Poetry.Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) is one of Japan's most celebrated poets. As a haikai master he led group compositions in linked verse, in addition to writing the seventeen-syllable hokku (or haiku) verse and poetry-studded travel diaries for which he is best known. This unit explores the background and nature of the haikai genre, with particular attention to Basho's achievement in creating a distinct poetic style, one that valorizes carefully observed, seasonally defined, seemingly small phenomena of nature in terms of a specifically East Asian worldview. Students use the concept of the kigo (seasonal word) and other techniques of Basho's hokku as a means of training their own observations of the seasonal phenomena of central Maine. Recommended background: AS/JA 125 or ENVR 205. Conducted in English. Not open to students who have received credit for JPN s25. Enrollment limited to 25. S. Strong.Concentrations.

JPN s32. Appreciation of Japanese Society through Film.This course explores the problem of Japanese modernity through the perspective of various genres of postwar Japanese film, including anime. One unifying theme is nostalgia—longing for the past and the rural hometown in the face of modern changes. Recommended background: one course in Asian studies. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 20. Staff.

JPN s50. Independent Study.Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, individually design and plan a course of study or research not offered in the curriculum. Course work includes a reflective component, evaluation, and completion of an agreed-upon product. Sponsorship by a faculty member in the program/department, a course prospectus, and permission of the chair are required. Students may register for no more than one independent study during a Short Term. Normally offered every year. Staff.Interdisciplinary Programs.