OSAKA UNIVERSITY SHORT-TERM STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM _

Contemporary Japanese Thought

Schwentker Wolfgang (Graduate School of Human Sciences)

Course Objective
   The course will introduce students to the intellectual history of Japan and the role of intellectuals in modern society. Furthermore it will offer an overview about methods and paradigms in intellectual history from a general point of view. The course is designed for foreign students at Osaka University, however, Japanese students are more then welcome to attend.

Learning Goals
   Students should learn why ideas do matter. After the course they should be able to identify and critically discuss core ideas and intellectual movements in modern Japan in relation to social, political and economic developments.

Requirement / Prerequisite
   none

Special Note
   none

Class Plan
   The course is a lecture (hopefully interrupted by good questions), occasionally based on select reading and interpretation of primary sources, followed by discussion.

  1. General introduction to intellectual history, followed by an explanation about the content of the lecture, grading policy, literature, textbooks, etc.
  2. Culture an Identity
  3. Nationalism
  4. History and Myths
  5. Liberalism in Taishô Japan
  6. The Critique of Capitalism
  7. Varieties of Conservative Thought
  8. Japan between East and West
  9. The Beauty of Nature
  10. Alternative Visions of History
  11. Gender in Japanese Thought
  12. Japan and its Neighbors
  13. History and Memory: the War and its Legacy
  14. Fukushima and After
  15. Student Presentations
Theme Content
Week 1 An Introduction to the Intellectual History of Modern Japan 1. General introduction to intellectual history, followed by an explanation about the content of the lecture, grading policy, literature, textbooks, etc. 2. Culture an Identity 3. Nationalism 4. History and Myths 5. Liberalism in Taishô Japan 6. The Critique of Capitalism 7. Varieties of Conservative Thought 8. Japan between East and West 9. The Beauty of Nature 10. Alternative Visions of History 11. Gender in Japanese Thought 12. Japan and its Neighbors 13. History and Memory: the War and its Legacy 14. Fukushima and After 15. Student Presentations
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15

Type of Class
   Lecture Subject

Independent Study Outside of Class
   Reading of books and academic articles related to weekly topics.

Textbooks
   Bob Tadashi Wakabayashi (ed.), Modern Japanese Thought. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1998

Reference
   Richard F. Calichman (ed.), Contemporary Japanese Thought. New York: Columbia University Press 2005; for Japanese students and foreign student who read Japanese: 鹿野政直「日本の近代思想」岩波新書２００２。

Grading Policy
   A review essay (app. 1500 words) of a book related to the topic of the course. Date of submission: 2017, February 1st, unless you have made alternative arrangements with me prior to that date. Class attendence: 40%, contribution to discussion in class: 30%, review 30%.

OUSSEP _
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