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Program Overview

The university program focuses on Japanese Urban Culture in Sight and Sound, exploring the modern transformations of Japanese urban pop culture. This course delves into the diverse experiences of modernity and popular culture in Japan through the study of its sights and sounds.

Course Description

The program examines how the realms of aurality and vision in Japan have been experienced, represented, and marshaled to construct or contest narratives of progress, difference, and sociality. It also investigates how media technologies have functioned in this context. Over the term, students will engage with these questions via in-class discussions, group activities, and "sound-walk" field trips in Tokyo.

Key Areas of Study

• The dance halls of jazz-age Tokyo
  • Historical context
  • Cultural significance
• The streetside puppet theaters of postwar Yokohama
  • Artistic expression
  • Social impact
• The pachinko parlors and virtual pop idols of contemporary anime and J-Pop
  • Modern representations
  • Cultural influence

Program Structure

The course is designed to provide an immersive experience, with a combination of:

• In-class discussions
• Group activities
• "Sound-walk" field trips in Tokyo

Syllabus

A detailed syllabus is available for the program, outlining the specific topics, readings, and assignments for each session.