JAN 113-01 - Japanese in the Bay Area: Culture, Zen, and Language

Level:  100-level

Course Times:  9:15am - 11:55am

Course Materials Fee:  $40

Instructor(s):  Naoko Uehara   

Email:  nuehara@stmarys-ca.edu

Anime, Manga, Nintendo?  Ramen, Sushi? Shohei Ohtani, J-Pop?  Japanese culture has long been part of our life, and continues to grow in global popularity. Our own Bay Area is blessed with rich connections to Japan.  Let’s go on a Jan Term adventure, discovering a unique language and culture.

This course includes excursions to Japantown and a Zen Temple. Discover what Zen actually is, not the misrepresentations in American media. San Francisco Japantown is the oldest and the largest of the three remaining in the US; we’ll walk the historical record and order authentic cuisine in Japanese. Students can optionally visit the Japan American Museum for the WWII incarceration exhibit in San Jose.  Students will research and present on an intriguing aspect of Japanese culture, and the class will discuss to expand our understanding.

Students will learn foundational Japanese language skills. The Hiragana and Katakana alphabets and simple syntax are taught, but communicative ability is the focus of the course.  This combination of language and culture will set up students well for enjoying deeper Japan travel adventures and online activities.

Be fully ready for this engaging Japan experience: field trips, language and culture learning, all in three weeks.  Very rewarding!

Prerequisites & Notes
None

Credits: 3