Spring Quarter 2026
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Catalog Descriptions
Lower Division
JPN 003, Sec. 1-8 - Elementary Japanese
JPN 006, Sec. 1-4 - Intermediate Japanese
Upper Division
JPN 103 - Japanese Literature in Translation: The Modern Period
Michiko Suzuki
Taught in English
This lecture/discussion course examines a broad range of major narrative texts in Japanese literature from the 1890s to the present. The novels and short stories we will read focus on issues of self and national identity, sexuality, war, westernization and modernity—issues that have been central to the Japanese cultural imagination since Japan opened up to the West in the mid-19th century. In addition to learning about the authors and their works, we will also examine the historical, literary and cultural contexts of the so-called modern period. GE: AH, WC, WE Lectures, readings and discussions are in English. No previous knowledge of Japanese language or culture is required.
JPN 109 - Japanese Popular Culture
Michael Foster
Taught in English
This course explores Japanese popular culture from a variety of perspectives. We will examine what “popular culture” means as a theoretical concept, and how popular culture has been a vital part of Japanese history from the early modern (Edo) period through the present. Primary emphasis will be on major forms of twentieth- and twenty-first century popular culture, including genre films, manga, anime and other forms of artistic expression. Throughout the course we will question the social, economic, and political contexts in which popular cultural products are created and consumed—and about which they inevitably speak. We will also consider the role of Japanese popular culture as a form of “soft power” in today’s global cultural marketplace. Class will be a combination of lecture and discussion. All readings will be in English and no previous knowledge of Japanese language or culture is required.
JPN 113 - Modern Japanese: Reading & Discussion
Section 1&2: Junko Ito
Section 3: Miyo Uchida
Prerequisite: JPN 112 (C- or better) or the equivalent language proficiency
JPN 123 - Advanced Japanese III
Yumiko Shibata
Prerequisite: JPN 122 (C- or better) or consent of instructor
JPN 136 - Readings in Japanese Newspapers
David Gundry
Prerequisite: JPN 113 or equivalent language proficiency or consent of instructor
JPN 158 - The Supernatural in Japan
Miki Wheeler
Taught in English
JPN 160 - The Culture of Japanese Food
Michael Foster
Taught in English
JPN 165 - Sexuality & Love in Premodern Japanese Literature
David Gundry
Taught in English