Ritsumeikan University Syllabus

Course Name	Year	Term	Period	Faculty / Graduate School	All Instructors	Credits
50556:[2025 Spring]General Education Course Ⅱ (P)	2025	Spring	Wed5	College　Of　Policy　Science	SAKATA GONZALES YURI ALITHU	2

Campus

OIC

Class Venue

AS451

Language

English

Course Outline and Method

Music, Art, politics and contemporary society This course examines how the arts [music, painting, literature, etc.] are influential expressions and reflections of societies. How we express and create cultural products are being challenged and enhanced by changing values and highly globalization. The focus of this course is to explore in what extend art can be related to identity, globalization, representation, and inclusion . We examine these concepts through the lens of the arts and related policies. The course will utilize examples of the arts and music. This course is student-focused, with short introductory lectures followed by group and pair work, discussions, debates, and presentations. This course is open to both PS and CRPS students.

Student Attainment Objectives

-Identify the ways in which music and art functions in society, specially when coming from minority groups.
-Broaden your perspectives and knowledge of the arts
-Examine the influence of the arts as expressions and reflections of our times
-Improve critical, logical and creative thinking; reading skills
<政策科学部学生のためのCEFR Can-Do listを参照のこと>
[S(B2.2-C1)], [L(B2.2-C1], [W(B2.2-C1)]

Recommended Preparatory Course

Course Schedule

Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors)	Theme
Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors)	Keyword, References and Supplementary Information
Week 1	[What is art?]
Week 1	Definitions of art from an anthropological and a sociological perspectives. ~ Art is a complex cultural expression that different fields of study approach from various perspectives. This week, we will discuss what we understand by art, the definitions that we consider dominant in society regarding art, and we will contrast them with some definitions provided by specialists in the Humanities. 【+R-Jugyo】Information for “+R-Jugyo” will be posted on manaba+R.
Week 2	[What is art?]
Week 2	Art as a co-creative product. ~ Art embodies a communicative process of encoding and decoding symbols. This week, we will discuss who participates in the communicative act, their intentions, and how they do so.
Week 3	[Art and activism (changes in societies' expectations of art)]
Week 3	Key concepts and examples in fine arts. ~ Art, in its role as a communicative medium, has been used as a tool to combat and resist injustices, spreading political statements. This week, we will discuss political art.
Week 4	[Art and activism (changes in societies' expectations of art)]
Week 4	~ Art has been used as a tool for denouncing injustices by minority communities. This week, we will discuss the ways in which art is used by minority groups to make their struggles visible. We will focus on the case of social protest and music in United States and Latin America.
Week 5	[Art for thinking policies for social cohesion and building an inclusive national identity in diverse societies]
Week 5	Key concepts: race, ethnicity and nation. ~ There are many diverse countries that face challenges regarding the social cohesion of their populations. In these cases, art has also been a space for expression and visibility of the different ways people feel part of a nation/nationality. This week, we will explore what it means to be a native citizen in a country and how these reflections are expressed in art.
Week 6	[Art for thinking policies for social cohesion and building an inclusive national identity in diverse societies]
Week 6	Art of the Asian diaspora. ~ This week, we will discuss the case of Asian in the UK and reflect on how artists from this community have used art to discuss what it means to be English.
Week 7	[Art for Claiming Visibility]
Week 7	Memory and art. ~ The official history of a society is built from a selection of events, many of which are relegated to oblivion. Artists have rescued these forgotten events and made them visible through their art. This week, we will discuss the motivations and effects of the actions of these artists.
Week 8	[Art for Claiming Visibility]
Week 8	Memory and women's perspective in art. ~ The official history of a society often leaves out the participation of women. This week, we will discuss how the valuable experiences of women are rescued through art, as well as the motivations and intentions that artists have in doing so.
Week 9	PRESENTATION 1
Week 9	Presentations and discussion.
Week 10	[Art for Claiming Visibility]
Week 10	Memory and political art in Latin America. ~ The official history of a state often hides the injustices perpetrated by governments, which are revealed and brought into discussion again by artists. This week, we will discuss this use of art and examine Latin American cases.
Week 11	[Art for Reconciliation]
Week 11	Case studies from Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. ~ Art has been used also as a tool for seeking empathy from other groups. This week, we will discuss cases in which art has functioned as an integrative and cohesive tool.
Week 12	[Art for Reconciliation]
Week 12	Case studies from Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. ~ We will continue the discussion of cases in which art has functioned as a tool for integration and reflect on the artistic qualities required for it to be considered an appropriate tool for these purposes.
Week 13	PRESENTATION 2
Week 13	Presentations and discussion.
Week 14	[closure]
Week 14	Evaluation and reflection. ~ We will have a general review of key topics from the semester and reflect on the possibilities that art offers as an expressive tool, for denunciation, and as an integrative means.
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Class Format

14 classes on Face to Face basis.

Recommendations for Private Study

Being curious about
- other cultural expressions of music and art, specially from minority communities.

Accessing to
- short Ted Talks
- short videos about art exhibitions (for example, at janm.org), and music.
*links for accessing to the suggested materials will be provided during classes.
- the BBC learning English website.
- news videos at DW.com.
- news articles at Edition.cnn.com

Practicing
- speaking English with friends outside of class.
- listening to music in English outside of class.

Grade Evaluation Method

Kind	Percentage	Grading Criteria etc.
Final Examination (Written)
Report Examination (A report to be submitted by the unified deadline)
Exams and/or Reports other than those stated above, and Continuous Assessment　 (Evaluation of Everyday Performance in Class)	100	Participation (in class) 30% Presentations 40% Homework 30%

Grade Evaluation Method （Note）

Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods

Textbooks

Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）

Learning materials will be distributed in class.

Reference Books

Reference Books （Frequency of Use, Note）

Learning materials will be distributed in class.

Web Pages for Reference

Learning materials will be distributed in class.

How to Communicate with the Instructor In and Out of Class(Including Instructor Contact Information)

Learning Management System （manaba+R）

Other Comments

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