Subject Area: Japanese Studies

The course takes the view that Japan is not a uniform entity and that Japan is not monocultural. Students will discover multicultural Japan where cultural diversity and stratification within Japanese society coexist with a monocultural tendency within each of the subgroups. The course focuses on the varying representations of contemporary Japan. They are thematised in several key concepts such as family, school, work, youth, technology and language. Students are encouraged to 'construct' their own understandings of Japan through readings, discussions and individual research into chosen segments of contemporary Japan. The process provides a foundation to the students for further discovery of other segments of Japan.