Ritsumeikan University Syllabus

Course Name	Year	Term	Period	Faculty / Graduate School	All Instructors	Credits
10753:Liberal Arts Seminar (01) § 10754:Theme Study (01) § 10755:Special Lecture (01)	2022	Spring	Fri2	College　Of　Law,College　Of　Economics,College　Of　Business　Administration,College　Of　Social　Sciences,College　Of　International　Relations,College　Of　Policy　Science,College　Of　Letters,College　of　Image　Arts　and　Sciences,College　of　Comprehensive　Psychology,College　of　Science　and　Engineering,College　of　Gastronomy　Management,College　of　Information　Science　and　Engineering,College　of　Life　Sciences,College　of　Sport　and　Health　Science　(tentative　name)	SUMMERVILLE CHRIS J.、JACKSON LACHLAN	2

Campus

KIC

Class Venue

MEIGAKUKAN　MG003

Language

English

Course Outline and Method

【Class Theme】Looking Within: Western Perspectives and Impressions of Japan
This course is an overview of essays,selections from non-fiction travel books, documentaries and TV programs written and directed by Westerners about Japan. It is designed to encourage students to see their country and possibly themselves anew through the eyes of outsiders, and also to learn about western writer’s preoccupations with Japanese culture and its customs. Students will work in small groups and each student will have a specific role each week to fulfill based on the assigned reading and secondary cultural theme of that week.

Student Attainment Objectives

Students will:
-Obtain an overview of western impressions of Japan over the last seventy years and become familiar with
representative Japan-related works of writers from each decade after WW2.
- Develop a critical awareness of the similarities and differences between Japanese and Western customs and
thought processes.
-Become aware of and adept at verbally explaining key social and cultural Japanese norms
-Become able to analyze an essay or work of non-fiction in terms of content and style.

Recommended Preparatory Course

【Stage 3】This class is open for the students with the following English ability: a TOEFL ITP®test score between 480 and 530, a TOEFL iBT®test score between 55 and 71, a TOEIC®test score between 580 and 630, an IELTS score above 5.0, or equivalent.
＊TOEIC®, TOEFL®はEducational Testing Service(ETS)の登録商標です。

Course Schedule

Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors)	Theme
Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors)	Keyword, References and Supplementary Information
1.	ZOOM ONLINE CLASS Introduction to Course Procedure and Reading Materials. Sharing key concepts of Japanese culture and customs
1.	Key Concept: Aimai 曖昧
2.	Reading Circles (1) Students will discuss the reading from their role's perspective and share their ideas and experiences of today's key concept
2.	Key Concept: Amae；甘え Writers of the Week: Donald Ritchie
3.	Discussion Leader Presentation & Reading Circle (2)
3.	Key Concept: Aware；哀れ Writer of the Week: Laurens Van der Post
4.	Discussion Leader Presentation & Reading Circle (3)
4.	Key Concept: Enryo；遠慮 Writer of the Week: Alan Booth
5.	Discussion Leader Presentation & Reading Circle (4)
5.	Key Concept: Giri；義理 Writer of the Week: Alex Kerr
6.	Discussion Leader Presentation & Reading Circle (5)
6.	Key Concept: Haji；恥 Writers of the Week: Pico Iyer
7.	Reading Circle
7.	Key Concept; Honne-Tatemae；本音と建て前 Miscellaneous Women Writers
8.	Group Discussion
8.	What we learnt so far about Japanese culture and ourselves through the readings, dramas and discussions.
9.	Movie Excerpts: Perspectives of Western Directors of the Japanese and Japan . Students will discuss the video from their role's perspective and share their ideas and experiences of today's key concept
9.	Key Concept: Hikaeme；控えめ
10.	Discussion Leader Presentation & Video Circle (1)
10.	Key Concept: Haragei；腹芸
11.	Discussion Leader Presentation & Video Circle (2)
11.	Key Concept: Hedataru to Najimu；隔てると馴染む
12.	Discussion Leader Presentation & Video Circle (3)
12.	Key Concept: Shudan ishiki；集団意識
13.	Discussion Leader Presentation & Video Circle (4)
13.	Key Concept: Chinmoku；沈黙
14.	Discussion Leader Presentation & Short Video Circle (5)
14.	Key Concept: Kenkyo；謙虚
15.	Final Presentations
15.	Reflections on our realizations upon completion of this semester's course

Class Format

[In the case of a BCP level of 1-4]
All classes will be conducted on Zoom. Further details will be provided in the Course News on Manaba R.

Recommendations for Private Study

Students will be expected to stay abreast of programs and dramas in the news and on television
along with their personal experiences that illustrate some of the themes addressed in the course
and to share them on a regular basis in 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	1. Reading/Video Role Sheets: 40% (10 x 4%) 2. Article Presentations: 20% (4 x 5%) 3. Final Presentation: 20% 4. Daily Discussion and Class Participation: 10% 4. Discussion Leader Presentation: 10% (2 x 5%) 5.

Grade Evaluation Method （Note）

Advice to Students on Study and Research Methods

Textbooks

Textbooks （Frequency of Use, Note）

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)

Other (Separate instructions will be provided)

Other Comments

【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:http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp//students/pathways-future/course/curriculum.html