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Description: |
Focused on but not limited to the first half of the 20th century, this course explores representations of Japan in a wide range of visual and material culture: e.g., ephemera generated by tourism, education and entertainment; advertisements and souvenirs; and wartime propaganda traveling similar routes of exchange. Travel brochures, guidebooks, photographs, postcards, films and other objects reflect changing concepts of urban space, rural culture, industry, geography, and military and political authority. Recurrent iconography and coded images link tourism and educational objects and images with evolving concepts of and questions regarding modernity, nationalism and cultural identity: e.g., how is the meaning of “modernity” in Japan useful to a study of the continuous transformation of culture in specific contexts, as in the transition from ukiyo-e culture to photography and animated films? This lecture/discussion course has a digital component: students work hands-on with the Re-Envisioning Japan Collection and digital archive, learning both critical analysis and digital curation skills. The course includes weekly film assignments and one field trip each to the Memorial Art Gallery and George Eastman Museum. No audits. |