Mar 28, 2024  
2019-20 Syllabus 
    
2019-20 Syllabus [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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IS 2200 - Perspectives on Japan (4)


Oakland University, College of Arts and Sciences, International Studies Program
Syllabus

Course Information:
CRN: 11481
Campus: Main Campus
Schedule Type: Lecture

Tuesday,Thursday

01:00 PM - 02:47 PM

Main Campus Campus | Pawley Hall | Room 309

This course offers an introduction to the culture and history of Japan. The objective of this course is to equip students with basic knowledge of Japan’s history and culture. Students will gain knowledge of its history, its particular art forms and how they evolved, contemporary society, family life, and business and politics. 

Prerequisites/Comments: Satisfies the university general education requirement in the global perspective knowledge exploration area. (Formerly IS 220)


Professor Information:
Instructor: William Londo

468 Varner Hall

ph. 248-370-3521

e-mail londo@oakland.edu

office hours: T, Th 5:00-6:00


Learning Outcomes:
This course will be an introduction to the culture and history of Japan. The objective of this course is to equip students with basic knowledge of Japan’s history and culture. Students will gain knowledge of its history, its particular art forms and how they evolved, contemporary society, family life, and business and politics.


Textbooks and Materials:
Sugimoto, Yoshio. An Introduction to Japanese Society - ISBN 9781107626676

Stalker, Nancy K. Japan - History and Culture - ISBN 9780520287778 

These books should be available at the OU Bookstore. All other readings will be available via OU library electronic resources or shared on Google Drive and will be indicated on the class schedule. In case of a non-functioning link, notify me and proceed to Moodle or the relevant electronic database to acquire the reading. Remember that you must print out the reading and bring it to class on the day it is assigned and read it before coming to class that day. 

 


Assignments and Grading:
Schedule 

You are responsible for checking the course schedule frequently and keeping up to date on what reading and other work is required for a particular class meeting. All reading and other work assigned for a given week must be completed prior to the first class meeting that week. 

Weekly Reflections 

Class members will be required to give weekly reflections each week in which they will do two things: 1) identify one important thing learned from the week’s readings, and explain why it is important. These reflections should be submitted via the discussion forums that appear each week on Moodle. Class members should also feel free to raise questions about the readings or comments on other students’ contributions by replying to their posts. Each class member’s contribution(s) to each week’s forum will be graded, but the lowest three grades will be dropped when final grades are calculated. Weekly reflections will be assessed on relevance, clarity and accuracy of presentation, and use of and/or reference to readings assigned for that week. Discussion forum contributions for a given week must be completed by noon on Tuesday of that week. No late submissions will be accepted. (Deadline for submission is indicated on each week’s forum; forums go dark when the deadline has passed.) 

Class Engagement 

Class engagement means coming to class having done the day’s assigned reading and being prepared to ask and answer questions, work in small groups, and debate issues. Needless to say, you must attend class in order to participate. Furthermore, leaving early, leaving and returning to the room in the middle of class, or consistently coming late will be considered absences, as will ringing cell phones. Don’t bring your cell phone to class. Failure to bring assigned reading materials to class, particularly material that is likely to be the subject of discussion, will affect your class participation grade negatively as well. I reserve the right to give quizzes on assigned readings to ensure everyone has prepared for class. 

Summary Response Papers 

There will be four (4) summary response papers due during the term. These will be 600 to 1000 words in length and will present a summary and thoughtful reflection upon each of any four articles assigned in the course of the term. Note that this does not include readings from Stalker or Sugimoto. If you are unsure if an article qualifies, ask me. Please let me know via e-mail or in class by the date indicated on the class meeting schedule which articles you plan to write on (or have written on). In these papers, you will reflect on what the articles you are writing about have taught you about Japan. I may periodically suggest questions for you to consider in composing your summary response papers, including via the weekly discussion forums. Summary response papers must meet the formatting requirements specified below. 

Summary response paper formatting requirements: 

typed double-spaced 12 point Times New Roman font have one inch margins on all sides include your name and the date of submission in the header of each page 

When you refer to a reading, you must indicate what you are referring to by giving an abbreviated citation made up of the author’s name (or abbreviated title if the author’s name is not given) and the page number in parentheses. Absent or unclear documentation will lead to lower grades. These papers will be graded on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being “above the clouds.” You have wide latitude in the approach you take, but be warned that papers will be judged on quality of both composition and content. 

Papers are to be submitted via the assignment submission links found at each week. They are due Tuesday of the week the article you are writing about is assigned as a reading, but you may turn them in anytime before then. Note that the policy on late papers, stated below, applies to summary response papers, but I will not accept any paper more than one class period late. When I have completed grading of papers for a given week, the submission link for that week will go dark. No further submissions for that week will be accepted. Usually, I will read and mark papers right away, and marked papers will be available for review in folders I will create 

in Google Drive and share with each student individually. Only you and I will be able to view your folder. I will drop the lowest of your four summary response paper grades when calculating this component of your course grade. 

“Japan in the News” 

The “Japan in the News” requirement is met by giving one (1) 5 to 7 minute class presentation during the last week of the term on some news item from Japan. It is recommended you begin your discussion by giving some context for the news item, by using information we’ve covered in class when possible, and then explaining the significance of the item. Other class members will be given time to ask questions or add comments on the item. Be prepared to let me know by e-mail during the week indicated on the class meeting schedule what news item you will be presenting on. Possible sources for news items include the Kyodo News Service, and the Japan Times, Asahi, and Yomiuri newspaper sites. You may also want to look at japantoday.com and newsonjapan.com, or you can do a search for a topic you are interested in and look news sites that have articles on it. Please let me know the news item you’ll be presenting on by sending me the link by e-mail. 

Final Exam 

The final exam will take place during the scheduled final exam period and will consist of fill-in-the-blank and short answer questions on topics covered in the course of the term. It will give you an opportunity to strengthen your understanding of the various facets of Japan past and present we have covered in class. 

 


Classroom and University Policies  



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