Department of English, Foreign Language, and Journalism
English 480-01
Selected Studies in Literary Authority—Japanese Literature
TR 8:00-9:20 Murphy 104
Dr. Stacia Bensyl SSC
222I
Phone 271-5936 email bensyl@missouriwestern.edu
Office hours: 2-3 MW, 9:30-11:30 TR, and by appointment
Required Texts:
Endo,
Shusaku. Silence. Trans. William
Johnston.
Hume, Nancy G., Ed. Japanese Aesthetics and Culture: A Reader.
Kawabata, Yasunari. Snow Country. Trans. Edward B.
Seidensticker.
Kirino,
Natsuo. Trans. Stephen Snyder. Out.
Mishima, Yukio.
McCullough, Helen. Trans. Genji and Heike: Selections from The Tale of Genji and The Tale of the Heike.
Murakami,
Haruki. After the Quake.
Handouts
on Kabuki and Waka.
Course
Objectives:
· Become familiar with Buddhist
philosophy and how it has shaped Japanese aesthetics.
· Become familiar with pre-modern,
modern, and contemporary Japanese texts and identify similarities and
differences between texts from each of these periods.
· Examine Japanese texts from both an
aesthetic and historical perspective.
· Apply critical theory to Japanese
texts.
· Discuss similarities and differences
between Japanese poetry, drama, and prose.
Assessment
Methods:
NB:
I will distribute instructions for assessments well before the due date.
Academic
Honesty Policy:
I abide by all the regulations outlined in the Missouri Western State
College Catalog and Student Handbook:
Academic Honesty Policy and Due Process
Academic honesty is required in all academic
endeavors. Violations of academic honesty
include any instance of plagiarism, cheating,
seeking credit for another’s work, falsifying
documents or academic records, or any other
fraudulent activity. Violations of academic
honesty may result in a failing grade on the
assignment, failure in the course, or
expulsion from the University. When a student’s
grade has been affected, violations of
academic honesty will be reported to the Provost
or designated representative on the
Academic Honesty Violation Report forms.
Please see the 2006-07 Student Handbook and
Calendar on page 21 for specific activities
identified as violations of this policy and the
student due process procedure. This
handbook is also available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf
I will not tolerate plagiarism, cheating, or claiming another's work as
your own. Please don't cheat! If I find evidence of academic dishonesty, I
will automatically assign that student an “F” for the course.
Course
grading scale:
100-90% = A
80-89% = B
70-79% = C
60-69% = D
59- 0% = F
Tentative Course Schedule
NB: This schedule is tentative. We are trying to cover quite a bit of
material here, and we may have to adjust our schedule accordingly. I will also add other essays from Nancy
Hume’s book as they apply.
Aug. 25 Overview, class
expectations, etc., beginning Buddhism
27
Buddhism/Shinto
Sep. 1 Buddhism/Shinto
3 Read
Donald Keene’s essay, “Japanese Aesthetics,” in Hume’s book
8 In-class
writing
10 Genji
Read Donald Keene’s essay, “Feminine Sensibility in the
Heian Era,” in Hume’s book
15 Genji
17 Genji
Take-home exam #1—due 09/24
22 Heike
24 Heike
29 Waka
Oct. 1 Waka
6 Read Donald
H. Shively’s, “The Social Environment of Tokugawa Kabuki” in Hume’s book.
Kabuki
Mid-term
take-home—due 10/15
8 Kabuki
13 Snow
Country
15 Snow
Country
20 Snow Country
22 Temple
of the Golden Pavilion
27 Temple
of the Golden Pavilion
29 Temple
of the Golden Pavilion
Nov. 3 Silence
5 Silence
Take-home exam #2—due 11/12
10 Silence
12 Haruki stories
17 Haruki stories
19 Haruki stories
24 Out
26
Thanksgiving
Dec. 1 Out
3 Out
Journal due
Final Exam:
Wednesday, December 9, 8:30-10:20.