The aim of this course is to help students acquire an understanding of the basic concepts and principles of Japanese views of life and death. Therefore students would watch four globally famous Japanese films, Yojiro Takita’s “Departure” (2008), Kunio Kato’s “La maison en petits cubes” (2008), Yasujiro Ozu’s “Tokyo story” (1953) and Noriaki Tsuchimoto’s “Children in Minamata” (1965) and discuss or write a paper on views of life and death behind them.
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1) Obtain basic knowledge about the basic concepts and principles of Japanese views of life and death.
2) Gain the ability to see what's behind the film.
3) Express their view on Japanese views of life and death.
Japanese film, views of life and death, spirituality
Specialist skills | Intercultural skills | ✔ Communication skills | ✔ Critical thinking skills | ✔ Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
Students must respond to the question from a teacher through the discussions or short reports. And they should reach the same degree of understanding as they exchange their points of view.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | Introduction | |
Class 2 | Spirituality in the films | |
Class 3 | Watching “Departure.” | |
Class 4 | Discussing about “Departure.” | Write a paper on views of life and death, watching the film. |
Class 5 | Finding what's behind “Departure.” | |
Class 6 | Watching “La maison en petits cubes.” | |
Class 7 | Discussing about “La maison en petits cubes.” | Discuss about views of life and death, watching the film. |
Class 8 | Finding what's behind “La maison en petits cubes.” | Report the content of the last week's discussion. |
Class 9 | Watching “Tokyo story.” | |
Class 10 | Discussing about “Tokyo story.” | Discuss about views of life and death, watching the film. |
Class 11 | Finding what's behind “Tokyo story.” | Report the content of the last week's discussion. |
Class 12 | Watching “Ending Note.” | |
Class 13 | Discussing about “Ending Note.” | Discuss about views of life and death, watching the film. |
Class 14 | Finding what's behind “Ending Note.” | Report the content of the last week's discussion. |
Class 15 | Conclusion |
None required.
Course materials are provided during class.
Discussion: 35%, Short report: 35%, Quiz: 30%
No prerequisites.
Should the number of applicants for this course exceed the limit, a lottery system will be used to determine which students are admitted. Be sure to attend the first class.