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Lecturer(s)
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Vyleťalová Lenka, Ph.D.
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Nakaya Tereza, Mgr. Ph.D.
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Course content
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Introduction to Contemporary Issues in Japanese Society The Aging Population Rural Decline and Internal Migration Economic Stagnation Precarious Employment and Working Poverty The Situation of Single Mothers, Migrants, and Seniors Gender Inequality Sexual Violence and the Functioning of the Criminal Justice System Work Culture and Kar?shi (Death from Overwork) Suicide and Mental Health Issues Media, Representation, and Public Discourse Final Reflection and Presentation of Student Analyses Language of Materials Academic texts: Predominantly English Media texts: Predominantly Japanese
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Monologic Lecture(Interpretation, Training), Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Work with Text (with Book, Textbook)
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Learning outcomes
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This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the key social, economic, and demographic issues facing contemporary Japan. Through a combination of academic studies and current Japanese media sources, students will critically examine topics such as population aging, rural decline, economic stagnation, precarious employment, gender inequality, sexual violence, work culture, and the issue of suicide. The course emphasizes connecting theory with practice and developing the ability to independently analyze public discourse.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: - Understand the main structural problems of contemporary Japanese society and place them within their historical and current context. - Critically analyze academic texts and compare them with media narratives in Japanese. - Identify how social problems are constructed and represented in Japanese media. - Apply concepts from sociology, anthropology, media studies, and gender studies to case studies. - Present their own arguments and engage in informed discussions on complex social issues. - Independently produce an analytical text concerning a selected social issue in contemporary Japan.
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Prerequisites
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The course is primarily intended for students in the follow-up Master's program ASIJAN but may also be taken by advanced Bachelor's students focusing on Japanese society issues. A key prerequisite is sufficient proficiency in the Japanese language for working with primary and secondary texts in Japanese. Students are expected to have already completed courses such as ASJ/1SJS, ASJ/STRSP, or another course with similar content focusing on Japanese society.
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Systematic Observation of Student, Final project
Attendance (70%), Preparation for classes, Active participation in classes and discussions, Reading approximately 700 pages of secondary literature and 300 pages of primary literature, Final presentation on a chosen topic
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Recommended literature
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Allison Anne. Precarious Japan. Duke University Press. 2013.
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Dalton, Emma E., and Iwata Masami, eds. Women and Politics in Contemporary Japan. London: Routledge. 2015.
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Chiavacci, David, and Sébastien Lechevalier, eds. Understanding Political Change in Japan: The First Half-Century of Postwar Japanese Politics. London: Routledge. 2020.
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Ishida, Hiroshi, and David H. Slater, eds. Social Class in Contemporary Japan: Structures, Sorting and Strategies. London: Routledge. 2011.
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