Course Name Year Term Period Faculty / Graduate School All Instructors Credits
50973:[2025 Spring]Policy Studies 3 (EPS-A) (A) § 50974:Policy Science Special Lecture (EPS-A)(A) 2025 Spring Thu4 College　Of　Policy　Science THELLE ANNE HELENE 2

Campus

OIC

Class Venue

AS356

Language

This course will be conducted primarily in English

Course Outline and Method

The focus of this course will be on narratives; the stories, real or imagined, that we use to share our experiences and events with others. We will consider how narratives shape our understanding of historical events, and how these in turn shape and inform our understanding of the present. The course will take a global perspective, and will introduce a variety of narratives. In the first half of the course, we will focus on pre-selected texts - short stories, novel excerpts, popular culture, and critical texts - with an emphasis on the social and political commentary of the works. For the latter half, students will take the lead in selecting other works and analyzing their impact on political discourse. 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

The aims of this course are to:
•Understand the influence of of narratives on perceptions of minority, race, and conflict.
•Improve critical, logical and creative thinking
•Improve academic communication skills in English
<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
Keyword, References and Supplementary Information
1

Course Information and Orientation - The stories we tell

【+R-Jugyo】Information for “+R-Jugyo” will be posted on manaba+R.
Watch the video-on-demand before our first face-to-face class

Introductory lesson:
How narratives shape our world

Background reading: "The Past is Not Dead" in Tessa Morris-Suzuki, The Past Within Us

2

Working with literature - an introduction

Primary text: Nadine Gordimer - The Moment Before the Gun Went Off


Background reading: "The Best Remedy for Hate, Injustice and Prejudice" in Rutger Bregman, Human Kind: A Hopeful History

3

Narrating Trauma

Han Kang - Can the past save the present?

Primary text: Extracts from Han Kang's novel Human Acts

Background reading: Han Kang's Nobel Prize acceptance speech

4

Literature as Resistance

Isabella Hammad - On Palestine and Narrative
Primary text: Isabella Hammad, "Gertrude"

Background reading: "At the Rendezvous of Victory" in Edward Said, Culture and Resistance

5

Literature and Resistance

Contemplating Edward Said, Hammad, and Han Kang
Drawing connections to other tales of resistance

6

Memory and Identity

Remembering the Holocaust
Primary "texts": 3 holocaust films

Secondary texts: "The transformation of Memories" by Anette Storeide
"Introduction" in After Testimony, the Ethics and Aesthetics of Holocaust Narrative for the Future

7

Memory and Identity II

Tales of war and defeat in Japan - From Barefoot Gen to Akira
Primary text: chosen war story from Japan

Secondary text: "Remaking Master Narratives: Anime Confronts History" and "No More Words: Barefoot Gen, Grave of Fireflies, And 'Victim's History'" in Susan Napier, Anime: From Akira to Princess Mononoke

8

Voices from the Margin I

The Japanese minority in English language literature
Primary text: Julie Otsuka - The Buddha in the Attic

Secondary text: documentary videos about US internment camps

9

Theme: Chosen in class

Based on the research interests of the class, we will agree on one or more texts for discussion

Focus: telling stories with photos

10

Theme: Chosen in class

Group work and presentation of findings

11

Theme: Individual research

Individual research assignment: introduction of assignment

12

Theme: Individual research

Work on individual research assignment

13

Theme: Individual research

Presentation of projects

14

Closure

Feedback and reflection

Class Format

Apart from a 20 minute course introduction on VOD, all 14 classes will be on Face to Face basis

Recommendations for Private Study

Listen to lectures such as TED talks, news shows, and podcasts in English. Collaborate with a study partner or group.
Do the recommended reading and homework assignments given week to week on Manaba.
Approximate time required outside of class: 1 hour/week.

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

Continuous assessment based on participation,presentations, and writing assignments.

Grade Evaluation Method （Note）

Active participation in class room activities is required.
Further details will be given in the first week of class.

Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods

Textbooks

Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）

No textbook purchase is required

Reference Books

Reference Books （Frequency of Use, Note）

Web Pages for Reference

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

Learning Management System （manaba+R）,Talk with Students

Other Comments

This class will be conducted in English and students are expected to engage in active learning for the entire 95 minutes of class time.
【科目ナンバリング・カリキュラムマップはこちらから/Click here to see the Curriculum-Map and Course-Numbering】
URL:https://secure.ritsumei.ac.jp/students/pathways-future/course/curriculum.html/