JAPN 311: Social Issues in Japan
Course Description
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.
Units: 4
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.
Units: 4
Reflective Narrative
This course contributed to the fulfillment of MLO 2 (Culture), as it overviewed major social issues in modern Japan, such as the Marriage-Birthrate-Aging Population issue, problems encountered in the Education System, and the importance of Land-Use. While it is important to learn about a country’s history, it is equally important to learn about their current issues to gain a true understanding of their culture. The major issue that I focused on in my final essay dealt with ‘Satoyama.’ Satoyama is a Japanese word for a man-made ecosystem demonstrating man’s ability to live in harmony with nature, where both man and nature benefit from the purposeful manipulation of nature. One of the most important discoveries I had in that class was learning such a thing was possible and actually exists in modern society. However, the largest impact of this class was the knowledge that this form of coexistence wasn’t limited to just Japan. Although this class focused on Japanese social issues and culture, it allowed for comparison with other cultures, such as the USA, and the realization that other countries, such as France, care just as deeply for nature as proponents of Japanese Satoyama. My goal after this course is to spread the idea of Satoyama to people unfamiliar to the phrase, as an alternative to the man-made industrialization of nature that has benefited only man.
Work Samples
311_litz_satoyama.pdf | |
File Size: | 75 kb |
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