JAPN 311: Social Issues in Japan
As the drive to rebuild modern Japan after WWII has slowed, latent and new social problems have become visible. This course offers interdisciplinary perspectives on issues such as care of the elderly and homeless, equal treatment of minorities, gender and labor issues, domestic and world ecological concerns, and relevant institutions that promote or attack prejudice towards heterogeneous social groups. Taught in English.
Towards MLO 2
Towards MLO 2
Reflective Narrative
Through lectures and class discussion, this course provided a survey of Japanese social issues, placing them in context with Japanese society and culture. Some topics included the sex industry, gender issues, the "juken" education system, business culture, Hokkaido and Okinawa, and hikikomori. The class discussions allowed us to develop our own opinions fully and hear ideas and information from others. This allowed for a really diverse and in depth range of understanding and analysis, as there were native Japanese, Japanese majors, non-Japanese majors, and students of other nationalities in the class. By listening to my teacher and peers, I was able to gain deeper understandings and different perspectives on topics I had already studied, and gain new knowledge of some other topics I had not previously studied. We learned that solutions to social issues aren't easy, as the social issues in Japan tie in with the inner workings of Japanese society and culture, which is affected by things happening globally as well. It was very interesting to analyze why things are the way they are in Japan and what is connected to what. We wrote three separate papers in the class, all connected to different social issues, and for the final paper combined those papers into one. Writing the papers allowed for interesting personal analysis and reflection on class discussions and lectures.
In the future I would like to continue to gain a deeper understanding of Japanese culture and apply my new understanding of how social issues are intertwined with society to problems I face. I think it is important to be able to look at how an issue fits into a whole to be able to understand it and have a chance at solving it. To further these goals, I intend to pay attention to what is going on in Japan and the world through the news and my friendships.
In the future I would like to continue to gain a deeper understanding of Japanese culture and apply my new understanding of how social issues are intertwined with society to problems I face. I think it is important to be able to look at how an issue fits into a whole to be able to understand it and have a chance at solving it. To further these goals, I intend to pay attention to what is going on in Japan and the world through the news and my friendships.