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2020　Studies of Culture and Representation B

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Academic unit or major
Humanities and social science courses
Instructor(s)
Kitamura Kyohhei 
Class Format
Lecture    (ZOOM)
Media-enhanced courses
Day/Period(Room No.)
Mon1-2(W621)  Thr1-2(W621)  
Group
-
Course number
LAH.H215
Credits
2
Academic year
2020
Offered quarter
3Q
Syllabus updated
2020/9/18
Lecture notes updated
-
Language used
Japanese
Access Index

Course description and aims

Movies, which had a tremendous influence as entertainment in the 20th century, produced a specific kind of representation—the “movie star.” Movie stars were eventually used as cultural apparatus to mobilize people into militarism during wartime and democracy during the postwar period, and they played an important role in determining the Japanese way of thinking and behavior. Also, as the film industry declined, television that penetrated into the home created idols/artists (in a different way from movie stars). The celebrity constructed by the media embedded in everyday life is also indispensable to contemporary cultural industries. In this lecture, we focus specifically on female celebrities (female star, female idol, and female artist) who have acquired fame mediated by media and outline the history of representation of female celebrities.
The aim of this lecture is to deepen our understanding of gender/sexuality norms from the collective desire of each society and culture, and to study how fame is constructed in cinema, magazines, television, electronic or mobile media—in other words, to explore visual media culture since the 20th century.

Student learning outcomes

At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1) Historically grasp movie stars, understand the history of moving pictures.
2) Understand a transition of gender norms from the history of representation of female stars/idols/artists
3) Have a deeper understanding of the media culture we are living in.

Keywords

Female star, Idol, Artist, Media, Nationalism, Orientalism

Competencies that will be developed

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

Class flow

Based on lecture-style presentations with practical sessions. Students are occasionally given exercise problems related to the contents.

Course schedule/Required learning

  Course schedule Required learning
Class 1 Guidance and introduction Understand the early cinema and the birth of actress.
Class 2 Female stars in prewar (Irie Takako and Yamada Isuzu) Learn early cinema actresses: Irie Takako and Yamada Isuzu.
Class 3 The female star in wartime (Tanaka Kinuyo): Moga to the woman of militarism Screening Aizen katsura (1938), Learn nationalism and Tanaka Kinuyo.
Class 4 The female star in wartime (Li Xianglan) Consider nationalism through the image of Li Xianglan.
Class 5 The muse of militarism/democracy (Hara Setsuko) Understand nationalism through the image of Hara Setsuko.
Class 6 From vamp to 'Grand Prix actress' (Kyo Machiko) Learn the culture during the occupation period and orientalism through the image of Kyo Machiko.
Class 7 From a female star to the national actress (Takamine Hideko) Consider the post-occupation era through Takamine Hideko's performance.
Class 8 The popular entertainment queen (Misora Hibari) Understand media culture in the 1950s through Misora Hibari.
Class 9 The female star of the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema (Wakao Ayako) Grasp mass culture from Wakao Ayako's performance.
Class 10 The Birth of 'Idol' (Yamaguchi Momoe/Matsuda Seiko) Understand Idol culture in 1970~80s through Yamaguchi Momoe/Matsuda Seiko
Class 11 From Idol to Female Artist (Shiina Ringo/Utada Hikaru) Consider ‘female artists’ in 1990s from the arrival of Shiina Ringo/Utada Hikaru.
Class 12 'Mediamix' and the film experience of remakes Explore the film experience of watching remakes and learn 'mediamix' by Kadokawa.
Class 13 The time of overflowing idols Consider the body images of Morning Musume., AKB48 group, and Momoiro Clover Z.
Class 14 The celebrity in the SNS Era Understanding YouTuber/Virtual YouTuber as 'DIY celebrity.'

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 required.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Fujiki, Hideaki. Making Personas. Transnational Film Stardom in Modern Japan. Nagoya: Nagoya University Press. ISBN: 978-4815805739 (Japanese)
Kitamura, Kyohhei. Cultural Sociology of Female Stars: Desiring the Madonna and Vamp in Postwar Japan. Tokyo: Sakuhinsya. ISBN: 978-4861826511 (Japanese)
Kitamura, Kyohhei. The Actress of Beauty and Destruction. Tokyo: Chikumashobo. ISBN: 978-4480016775 (Japanese)
Nishi, Kenji. Idol Culture through the Prism of Media Theory. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press. ISBN: 978-4130530248 (Japanese)

Assessment criteria and methods

Class participation (40%) and final report (60%)

Related courses

  • LAH.H113 ： Studies of Culture and Representation A
  • LAH.H314 ： Studies of Culture and Representation C

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

No prerequisites.

Contact information (e-mail and phone)    Notice : Please replace from "[at]" to "@"(half-width character).

kitamura.k.af[at]m.titech.ac.jp

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