KIC

RYOYUKAN　RY408

English

【+R-Jugyo】
This course will not have +R-Jugyo. The number of class hours for “+R-Jugyo” will be covered by activities related to the course.

The seminar offers a space for students to pursue research projects grounded in cultural anthropology with a particular focus on contemporary Japanese society. Students who are interested in topics including but not limited to local communities and cultures, political activism and social movements, multi-culturalism and identity, historical memory and nationalism, migration and globalization, tourism and urban studies, youth culture and subcultures, digital culture and media studies, and topics in urban studies are most welcome. That said, our group is not limited by topic so much as we are united by qualitative method: this seminar aims to create a creative and open space for discussing ideas, learning about theoretical and methodological approaches in anthropology and other humanistic social sciences, and applying them to rigorous thesis projects.
　Students who take this seminar will be expected to be open-minded, positive, active, and self-motivated. Projects based on fieldwork (i.e. interviews and participant observation) are most suited for our group, but historical and media-centered cultural studies projects are also quite possible. This seminar aims to enhance each member’s approach to their thesis through mutual interaction, sharing both advice and critique, and collectively developing everyone’s projects. To that end, attendance and participation are mandatory.

Students will acquire an understanding of essential concepts and theories in anthropology and Japan studies and cultivate skills in qualitative research methods. In order to do so, they will take a critical and theoretical stance on an individual research topic as well as contribute to the development of the projects of other seminar members. Over our two years together, students will develop the skills necessary to:

- Formulate research questions, create and refine arguments, and structure thesis-length writing.
- Identify, evaluate, and apply materials about a given topic and related bodies of academic literature.
- Gather data using mixed methods from the social sciences including surveys, interviews, oral history, archival research, fieldwork and participant observation, and more.
- Understand issues in ethnographic representation and ethics and how to craft effective writing.
-Create excellent original research projects!

Basic knowledge in anthropology, sociology, and Japanese society in general is highly recommended but enthusiasm and willingness to learn is the most important thing.

Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors)	Theme
	Keyword, References and Supplementary Information
1-14	Seminar Management Method
	In general, we will read and discuss academic work in Japan studies, anthropology, and ethnographic research methods with an eye to how to apply them to members’ projects. Seminar members will make several periodic short presentations on their research in addition to taking the lead for at least one session per semester. The specific content of each week will be determined at the start of the semester in consultation with participating students.

　

Students are required to complete the decided-upon readings and/or their individual research and to come to class prepared to discuss them.

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	Term Paper：40% This term paper is a progress report on your thesis, tailored to your stage in zemi. Continuous Assessment (Evaluation of Everyday Performance in Class)：60% Each student will be required to give periodic oral research presentations, keep up with readings and assignments, participate in class discussions, and offer feedback to others during our workshopping sessions. The details and timing of readings, presentation(s), and the final paper will be discussed during the first class and will be adjusted to fit the needs of current zemi students. Attendance and active participation is expected.

Your specific topic and the general project of the seminar are intertwined. Students are expected to pursue knowledge specific to their topic, but also help the group collectively engage broader questions. In this sense, it is important that you dig into your topic enthusiastically: read literature related to your topic and think broadly about how you might connect your individual topic to larger issues. We will each be doing the same. To that end, everyone is expected to carefully and critically read the materials distributed in each class and actively take part in discussion.

TBD

TBD

Talk with Students,Other (Separate instructions will be provided)

Examples of Past Graduation Research (Graduation Thesis) Titles

“Sayonara U.S.A.!”:
The Representation of Japanese Culture and Individuals by Disney

The Role of the Catholic Church in Kyoto: Fostering the Faith of Filipinos and their Integration in Japanese Society

Online News Media and French Youth Political Participation

The Role of Student Organizations for Sustainability at Japanese Universities - A Food-Based Analysis

Japan’s Womenomics in the Post-Pandemic Era: Challenges, Prospects, and Implications for the Chinese Labor Market

“Just a girl in the Kagai world:” Creating Identity as a Maiko

“I Think We’re OK, But Everything They Do is Inside Out”: Satire, Irony, and the Auto-Anthropological Possibilities of a Dystopian Comparative Interpretation of The Chrysanthemum and The Sword, No-No-Boy, and I-Hotel

The Feminization of Modern Yoga Practice in Contemporary Japanese Society

Understanding Begging from an Islamic Perspective: A Case Study in Bangladesh

Veganism in Kansai: An Ethnography of the Vegan Community in Japan Through the Perspective of Lifestyle and Activism

Discourse Analysis of the Black Lives Matter Movement on Japanese Social Media

Shōjin Ryōri of Kyoto: Exploring Strategies to Transmit Buddhist Cuisine in the Post-Pandemic Era
Walking along Little Jeju in Osaka:
 Examining Identity of Female Zainichi and Newcomer with Jeju Legacy

Zainichi Christian Church: Cradle for Transitional Experience for the Diaspora

Gender Inequality in Japan: Confronting cultural and systematic discrimination in Japanese society

Hāfu in Japan:
 The Experiences of Multiethnic People Living in Japan

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