This secion undergraduates only
3 credits
This class carries Culture Studies credit
This class carries COLL A&H distribution credit
No prerequisites; knowledge of Japanese language is not necessary.

This lecture/discussion course examines modern Japanese literature
and film (in English translation) that focus on the idea
of “Otherness.” Spanning a broad timeframe from the late nineteenth
century to the present, the class will explore issues including:
race, ethnicity, sexuality, class, minority politics, and various
identities of “Otherness” such as geisha and gangsters. By analyzing
fiction and film, we will question the idea of a historically and
culturally homogeneous Japan, and consider the notion of the “Other”
from a theoretical point of view. Students will be evaluated on
class attendance, discussion participation, essays and exams.