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2020　Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences29:'Other' Sounds - Music, Minorities, Japan

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Academic unit or major
Humanities and social science courses
Instructor(s)
De Ferranti Hugh Barry Ziani 
Class Format
Lecture    (ZOOM)
Media-enhanced courses
Day/Period(Room No.)
Wed3-4(Zoom)  
Group
-
Course number
LAH.S429
Credits
1
Academic year
2020
Offered quarter
4Q
Syllabus updated
2020/9/18
Lecture notes updated
-
Language used
English
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Course description and aims

This 7-week course is built around a series of case studies of ethnic and cultural groups who use music to sustain their existence as minority ‘Others’ in Japanese society today. At the heart of our study will be the ongoing roles that music and dance play in shaping the nature of minorities and the identities of their individual members, as well as crucially mediating between minorities and ‘mainstream’ Japanese society.

Student learning outcomes

Students will acquire the following knowledge in this course:
* Various representative definitions and viewpoints on the nature of ethnic and cultural minorities in Japan.
* How music functions to 'produce' individual and group or community identities.
*　A set of terms and analytical concepts for thinking about how music shapes a minority ‘community’, both as a whole and internally.

Keywords

ethnic minority, cultural minority, identity, marginalisation, mainstream society

Competencies that will be developed

Specialist skills ✔ Intercultural skills ✔ Communication skills ✔ Critical thinking skills Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

1) Students must read the assigned writings and listen to assigned music extracts in advance of each class.
(2) Each week some student groups will prepare their own set of comments and discussion questions as a 'group reporting task'.  
(3) Working either in groups or on their own, students prepare a final paper to be submitted by Week 8. In the case of groupwork, each individual student must contribute a section of the paper that is at least 1,200 words long (not including References).

Course schedule/Required learning

  Course schedule Required learning
Class 1 Introduction to the course; concerning ethnic and cultural minorities in Japan, and their specific circumstances in C20th and C21st society Discussion of participants’ knowledge and experience of ethnic and cultural minorities in Japan and their music-making
Class 2 Case study: Music and the Filipine diaspora in Japan In week 2 all returning class members will be assigned some pages in readings to prepare questions and comments about
Class 3 Case study: music and Korean(-Japanese) Page numbers in the readings will have been assigned to individuals or pairs to prepare questions and lead discussion
Class 4 Case studies: Okinawan and Ogasawaran music-making Page numbers in the readings will have been assigned to individuals or pairs to prepare questions and lead discussion
Class 5 Case study: Ainu music and dance. Due date for first draft of paper. Page numbers in the readings will have been assigned to individuals or pairs to prepare questions and lead discussion
Class 6 Case study: Music and the Nepalese diaspora in Japan Page numbers in the readings will have been assigned to individuals or pairs to prepare questions and lead discussion
Class 7 Review and informal sharing of students' investigation findings。Due date for final version of paper. Informal presentations by individuals or groups on their findings. Submit paper that demonstrates understanding of some of the concepts and methods studied in readings. 

Out-of-Class Study Time (Preparation and Review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

none

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Copies of reading materials will be provided by the instructor.

Assessment criteria and methods

weekly participation 20%
group reporting tasks for those who opt to do them 20%
1st draft of paper 20%
final paper 40% for those who did group reporting tasks; 60% for those who did not

Related courses

  • LAH.S428 ： Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences28: 'Our' Sounds - Music, Society, Community
  • TAL.L403 ： Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences28: 'Our' Sounds - Music, Society, Community (Leadership)

Prerequisites (i.e., required knowledge, skills, courses, etc.)

Neither prior experience of the discipline of Musicology nor advanced knowledge of music theory is required.  (If you are uncertain about this aspect, please ask the instructor by email before the class begins.)  What IS required is an ability to listen deeply, a genuine love of music and an earnest desire to understand why human beings cannot live without it, as well as how we can think, talk and write about music coherently. Ability to read and discuss academic texts in English is also needed.

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