Course unit details:
Core Themes in Animated Film and Visual Culture of Postwar Japan
| Unit code | JAPA20131 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 20 |
| Unit level | Level 2 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 1 |
| Offered by | Japanese Studies |
| Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
This course will introduce students to the most influential and canonical works of Japanese animation and several related live action films that can be closely connected to the evolution of the themes of animation. Students will explore core themes developing in and through animation: nationalism, race, and the recovery of postwar identity; mutant bodies and youth under pressure; the heroic ‘shojo’ (girl), technological interface and human evolution; apocalyptic visions; and environmentalism. Each week there will be full screenings of film or animation OVA (film length versions) followed by discussion of the film in relation to readings. The course begins with the early origins of postwar animation and ‘monster film’ in the 1950s and traces its development and expansion into a major media particularly from the 1980s to the 2000s.
Pre/co-requisites
Available on:
Single and joint hons Japanese UG degree programmes, single and joint hons East Asian Studies degree programmes
Aims
- To provide students with an understanding of the key themes and genres of film and animation.
- To introduce the major concepts and aspects of the 21st century historical background necessary for a fuller understanding of contemporary culture in Japan.
- To enable students to analyse cultural problems and dynamics in contemporary Japan in an informed and critical way.
- To prepare students with skills for independent source gathering in their year abroad and for more robust essay writing skills in the final year.
Teaching and learning methods
- Lectures and class discussion of the readings
- Discussion of animation screened in relation to readings and lectures
- Written feedback on team class presentation and mid-term essays
- Oral feedback on contributions to seminars and assessment of written work
Knowledge and understanding
On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding of major trends and formations of animation and contemporary culture in Japan in the context of the postwar environment;
- demonstrate critical understanding of key analytical concepts related to the study of animation and film in contemporary Japan;
- knowledge of several key genres and cultural themes within animation and overlapping into other media and social discussion.
Intellectual skills
On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:
- engage in informed critical analysis of Japanese animation and film;
- read and watch critically;
- write analytically.
Practical skills
On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:
- construct ideas and arguments from own research and apply knowledge to finding solutions to authentic real-world problems;
- improve basic skills for academic writing, in particular reviewing academic literature;
- improve presentation skills.
Transferable skills and personal qualities
On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:
- have honed their skills for reasoned presentation, discussion and argument;
- be able to find and use critically a range of materials such as books, journals and web-based resources relevant to the topics studied in the course. Develop personal qualities of independence of mind in order to make ethical judgments.
Employability skills
- Project management
- Students taking this unit will be learning to work towards deadlines, work independently and to manage their time effectively.
- Written communication
- Students on this unit will develop their ability to communicate a coherent and critical argument of depth and complexity in written form and to write in a way that is lucid, precise and compelling.
Assessment methods
| Assessment task | Formative or Summative | Weighting within unit |
| Class presentation | Summative | 20% |
| 4 x commentaries on reading submitted and graded on Canvas discussion board; single file containing all 4 commentaries to be uploaded to Canvas at end of semester. | Summative | 20 % |
| Final essay | Summative | 60 % |
Resit assessment:
Essay
Feedback methods
| Feedback method | Formative or Summative |
| Written feedback on class presentation | Summative and formative (contributing towards the final essay) |
| Written moderator comments on discussion board | Summative and formative (one or more of these commentaries can be built upon towards the final essay) |
| Written feedback essay | Summative |
Recommended reading
- Christopher Bolton (2007) Robot Ghosts and Wired Dreams
- Igarashi Yoshikuni (2000) Bodies of Memory: Narratives of War in Postwar Japan
- Thomas Lamarre (2009) Anime Machine
- Mechademia 1: Emerging Worlds of Anime and Manga, University of Minnesota Press (2006)
- Susan Napier (2018) Miyazakiworld
- Tatsumi Takayuki (2006) Full Metal Apache: Transactions Between Cyberpunk Japan and Avant-Pop America
- Tanaka Motoko (2014) Apocalypse in Contemporary Japanese Science Fiction
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 |
| Seminars | 22 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 168 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Sharon Kinsella | Unit coordinator |
Additional notes
Students are required to visit the lecturer by appointment in office hours no later than 1 week prior to their class presentation, to have a tutorial to discuss developing specific themes and angles and suitable reading.
Class Presentations may not be the same weekly topic as Final Essays or any Commentary on the Discussion Board. However, Final Essays may be extensions of one or more 250 word Commentaries on the Discussion Board.