JAPN 3060: Topics in Japanese Film: Contemporary Japanese Cinema

University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Examines topics in Japanese film and culture, including the creative exchange of transnational influences, the emergence of the Japanese studio system as rival and complement to Hollywood, Japanese films, and global cinema. All materials are examined in historical, social, and aesthetic contexts. Conducted in English. Section information text: In this course, we will delve into cinema and animation from Japan over the past few decades (from 1989, the start of the Heisei Era) to the present. The class has two aims. The first is to develop a nuanced and critical sensibility towards moving images (Kinetic Viewing Skills). The second is to explore how moving images have portrayed the making and purpose of art (cinema and otherwise), as well as broader media experience during the 21st century. To achieve these aims, we will watch works relating directly to historical and contemporary Japan in a range of genres and styles, touching on themes such as war, memory, technology, labor, nature, and identity. More, we will focus primarily on works that display the creative process—what we might loosely call ‘meta’ or ‘reflexive’ works’ that can give us a stronger sense of purpose and process at a time when the role of art in the world is deeply uncertain. Reading and responding to critical writings collectively will help us navigate these intersections, between art/culture/media and everyday life in Japan.

Average GPA: 3.21

Grade distribution records: 63 students across 3 terms.

Grade distribution

Based on 63 student grade records across 3 terms and 2 professors.

Instructors

• Philip Kaffen 46 students, Average GPA 3.18
• David Boyd 17 students, Average GPA 3.31