Special Topics: Japanese Animation: Art, Culture and
Communication
Course Description:
Pop culture is not only entertainment but also a reflection of society. There
are various forms of Japanese popular culture form: pop songs, enka (a popular
from of ballads/genre music), karaoke, comics, animated cartoons, video games,
television dramas, films, etc.
In the past ten years, Japanese Animation (ANIME) has become very popular
among young people internationally. This course introduces the students to the
rich and varied world of Japanese animation, one of the most important
cultural products of Japan in the post-war period.
Both Japanese Anime and Western animation films focus on human relationships
and strivings: love, loss, work, duty, dreams, war and peace, good and evil,
beauty and ugliness, life and death, courage, power, friendship, spirit,
gender roles, etc. Despite their similarities, however, there are subtle
differences and unique ways Japanese animation portrays and examines these
issues.
In this course, the students will examine, analyze, interpret and compare the
content and context of Western animation and Japanese animation.
They will examine the history of Japanese animation and how it relates to —
and reflects — the social, political and economic transformations of
the Japanese nation. They will also examine how cross-cultural and
sociolinguistic information are imbedded in the non-verbal communication and
dialogues in the anime films.
Course Objectives:
The course is designed to take advantage of the students’ academic interest in
and curiosity about Japanese animation to explore how it is a reflection of
Japanese society. Through lectures, reading assignments, class discussion and
screenings,
as well as analysis, interpretation and comparison of various animated films,
students learn: 1) what Animation (anime) is and the styles of animation and
its function in society; 2) similarities and differences between Japanese and
western forms; 3) any sociolinguistic and cross-cultural issues in the styles
of communication/dialogues, such as examples of hierarchy, gender roles, male
and female languages, etc.; and
4) to understand and appreciate the subtleties of Japanese culture and society
in general.
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