MLO 2 : japanese Culture
2.1 Students develop a comprehensive understanding, appreciation, and knowledge of Japanese culture: perspectives (ideas, beliefs, attitudes, values, philosophies), practices (patterns of social interactions) and products (both tangible and intangible, for example, art, history, literature, music).
2.2 Students develop analytical and critical thinking in areas such as how Japan’s cultural background influences modern Japanese life, how to compare their own culture with the Japanese culture, or how Japanese culture relates to other world cultures in an age of global inter-relatedness.
2.2 Students develop analytical and critical thinking in areas such as how Japan’s cultural background influences modern Japanese life, how to compare their own culture with the Japanese culture, or how Japanese culture relates to other world cultures in an age of global inter-relatedness.
Courses
JAPN311
JAPN302 JAPN300 JAPN420 JAPN410 JAPN301 JAPN309 JAPN304 |
JAPN407
JAPN307 JAPN317 JAPN395 JAPN495 JAPN215 JAPN308 JAPN401 JAPN312 |
Reflective narrative
Prompt: Write a reflective statement for each of the following Major Learning Outcomes (MLO) supported by samples of your best work related to this MLO. Do not just list courses and what you learned from each course, but rather provide reflective narrative by describing connections to your learning related to the outcomes for each MLO. Note that each MLO has several outcomes.
All of these courses contributed so much to the cultural knowledge of Japan I gained at CSUMB. JAPN311: Social Issues in Japan really expanded my very limited perspective of Japanese social behaviors and showed me that Japan is very similar to the United States. It isn't some anime-fantasy land, but has very serious issues and very real topics of discussion. I did a project in this class about the host club industry that resides in red-light districts. It is one of my most memorable projects because the research I did showed me such raw opinions of Japanese people and how Japan's outlook on 'lower level' work industries such as host clubs and sex work damages the mindsets of the people who do this work. This was further expanded in JAPN395: Japan-Current Issues and Solutions where we talked about the high suicide rate in Japan and death by overwork. A majority of the issues Japan has is connected to the high levels of pressure and stress resulting from harsh work environments. I looked into this issue with a different profession as well in JAPN308: Japanese Pop Culture, where I researched Japanese pop idols and the harassment they receive from critics, the industry itself, and even their own fans. Particularly in the island of Okinawa, which was focused on in the course JAPN495: Okinawa Memories, there remain to be issues regarding rape, murder, and harassment of Okinawan women by the American military as well as environmental issues such as jet fuel in water supplies and excessive trash.
Many of my classes, and ultimately my own capstone project also dove into those environmental issues Japan faces. Being such a small island, trash issues are a high priority to manage, so in JAPN395 we looked at ways Japanese people are attempting to reduce food waste. There were common ideas we share in the U.S. such as food banks, composting, and portion sizing, but also unique ideas such as cafes that sell meals made from local foods (reducing food mileage). Of course, in JAPN410: Quakes and Nukes, (Un)natural Japanese Environments we also looked at other issues facing the environment such as the use of nuclear energy, earthquakes, and tsunamis.
All of these courses contributed so much to the cultural knowledge of Japan I gained at CSUMB. JAPN311: Social Issues in Japan really expanded my very limited perspective of Japanese social behaviors and showed me that Japan is very similar to the United States. It isn't some anime-fantasy land, but has very serious issues and very real topics of discussion. I did a project in this class about the host club industry that resides in red-light districts. It is one of my most memorable projects because the research I did showed me such raw opinions of Japanese people and how Japan's outlook on 'lower level' work industries such as host clubs and sex work damages the mindsets of the people who do this work. This was further expanded in JAPN395: Japan-Current Issues and Solutions where we talked about the high suicide rate in Japan and death by overwork. A majority of the issues Japan has is connected to the high levels of pressure and stress resulting from harsh work environments. I looked into this issue with a different profession as well in JAPN308: Japanese Pop Culture, where I researched Japanese pop idols and the harassment they receive from critics, the industry itself, and even their own fans. Particularly in the island of Okinawa, which was focused on in the course JAPN495: Okinawa Memories, there remain to be issues regarding rape, murder, and harassment of Okinawan women by the American military as well as environmental issues such as jet fuel in water supplies and excessive trash.
Many of my classes, and ultimately my own capstone project also dove into those environmental issues Japan faces. Being such a small island, trash issues are a high priority to manage, so in JAPN395 we looked at ways Japanese people are attempting to reduce food waste. There were common ideas we share in the U.S. such as food banks, composting, and portion sizing, but also unique ideas such as cafes that sell meals made from local foods (reducing food mileage). Of course, in JAPN410: Quakes and Nukes, (Un)natural Japanese Environments we also looked at other issues facing the environment such as the use of nuclear energy, earthquakes, and tsunamis.