Jeremy Robinson
robinjer@gvsu.edu

EAS 333 - Japanese Theater

JPN 280 - Japanese Language in Context

This class will explore the full range of traditional Japanese performing arts, especially the four main traditional genres of nô, kyôgen, kabuki, and bunraku but also arts such as gagaku, bugaku, biwa, and rakugo; as well as exploration of the role of performance in religious ceremonies, festivals, sporting events, and everyday life. There will be a strong emphasis on the way aspects of traditional performance are both preserved and adapted, manifesting in various ways in both modern performance and modern life.  The course will take full advantage of its setting to explore first the tradition of live performance in Tokyo and then that of Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara. 

There will be six required field trips to view live performances and events as well as several optional supplemental outings. The general content of the course remains consistent from year to year, but the specific details are always tailored to the performances that are available each season, and specific readings will target those plays which we will be seeing in performance.  All readings will be in English translation, and no previous exposure to Japanese language or culture is required, but we will frequently make use of close reading to delve into the way the language itself plays a part in defining the performance.

The theater class will typically take up the first two hours of our 3-hour class sessions. Attendance and participation accounts for over one third of the final grade, so missing classes will impact that grade substantially. Attendance means not just coming to class, but coming to class having read the necessary assignments, and being ready to share your response to them in class is vital to your success. There will be six in-class quizzes intended to make sure everyone is keeping up on the material.

There are six required performances/events and you will be required to write and submit on Blackboard a 2-page response after each of them. These should articulate your reaction to the specific performance or event in the context of the larger tradition we have been studying. It should express your personal response to the performance, but should also draw on the information you have been exposed to in the classroom and through your readings. 

Any materals for the course will be distributed as pdfs on Blackboard or as handouts, unless the instructor has contacted you specifically about acquiring an additional text for your specific language level. There may occasionally be video materials to view on Blackboard as well, but for the most part videos will be viewed together in class.

This is not a traditional language course in which new vocabulary and grammar are studied from a textbook and practiced in class along with students at the same level. Rather, it is focused on making active use of whatever level of Japanese language you have in various contexts and real-world situations to complete concrete tasks. These tasks are intended to push students outside of their comfort zone and challenge you to make better use of language, whatever your level of proficiency.

The bulk of the course is made up of language practicum assignments, some of which you may do on your own, some with students at the same level, and some with students at multiple levels working together. Some of these will be at set times, but most of them will be done on your own schedule, completed outside of class as you have time. For each of these, you will be assessed based on a two-page reflection you will post to Blackboard about the experience of completing the tasks. The focus is not on the final product (the reaction paper) but on the task itself.

The remainder of the grade for the course is for your individual language project. This will be centered on a goal you articulate for your own language goals for the course. For some of you that might mean completing the requirements for a specific language course, and in this case some conventional instruction may be provided. For some it might be focused on an aspect of language you wish to develop further, such as listening to Japanese media, reading Japanese materials, or speaking to native Japanese speakers. Whatever your goals, the role of the instructor is to provide direction and facilitate the completion of those goals.

We will typically take the last hour of each class session for the language class. In some cases that might mean simply touching base about progress on tasks, comparing notes, etc. In some cases we may have some instruction as a group about a particular aspect of languae or culture we will be encountering. And in some cases we may meet as a group only briefly, after which the instructor may continue to meet with one part of the group while the rest are finished for the day.

Any materals for the course will be distributed as pdfs on Blackboard or as handouts, unless the instructor has contacted you specifically about acquiring an additional text for your specific language level.