Global Literatures 223: Youth in Precarious Japan

This course explores the theme of youth and adolescence in literary and cinematic works from late 19th-century to contemporary Japan. It examines how the development of industrial capitalism, Japanese colonialism, World War II, the US occupation, the regional Cold War order, the Japanese economic miracle, and the recent recession have been presented differently when we employ the perspective of youth. The course introduces the following key topics: sexuality, romance, friendship, same-sex love, education, family, ethnic identity, disability and anxiety. Particular issues that young people wrestle with have varied in each period. However, youth and adolescents have continuously grappled with the idea of "social identities" that navigate them into mature adulthood or socially expected gender norms, such as masculinity and femininity. Young people's hopes, dreams, disillusionment, frustrations, and struggles will be examined through selected literary and cinematic works, as well as music, visual images, and magazines. The historical approach to literary, cinematic, and other media works provides comparative context to bridge our understanding of representation and the social context negotiated by creators and recipients. May be elected as Japanese 423. May be taken for credit toward the Japanese major. May be taken for credit toward the Film and Media Studies major or minor or the Gender Studies major or minor.