MLO 2: 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.
Courses Taken:
JAPN 215: Cool Japan
JAPN 311: Social Issues
JAPN 314: Visual Culture
JAPN 213: Anime
Japanese integrated culture I & II
Japanese 320s: Service Learning
2.1 These classes all are built on the idea of sharing Japanese culture in an educational setting. I learned that there was a lot more to why people of different cultures carry the ideas, mannerisms and values acted and thought the way that they did. I learned more about the concepts in the works on Anime and Manga while taking Japanese 213: Anime. I learned how certain artist interpreted the atomic bombing, history and even social awkwardness. It was a very big eye opener considering I am an avid fan of Anime and didn't realize some of these truths until I took this class. This continued as I took more courses and got a view of the bigger picture instead of the small box I originally viewed these ideas in.
When I was taking Cool Japan (JAPN 215) and Japanese Social Issues ( JAPN 311) I began to see the impact that history and culture (even popular culture) influenced how Japanese people saw themselves, how they live and how the arts they are involved in has changed how they are perceived. as a Black student I see the same things in my own community back home. I see the social issues created by our environment and our history. How we become well known for the music that many of our people produce ect. These facts definitely drew me a lot closer to Japanese culture and I was able to relate more to Japanese people and the issues they face. Whenever I have an interaction that has made me uncomfortable I remember the concepts and ideas I learned in these classes and they help me understand and move forward.
2.2 Being immersed in the culture and day to day life while studying abroad. I came to realize many things that contributed to Japanese Culture. I found myself acting similar to Japanese people during my stay, certain mannerisms and ideas became my own. Experiencing festivals, seeing what Japanese people celebrated How they treated one another with respect and humbleness. As a great fan of Japanese music and Manga I also found myself discussing and bonding over our favorite artists. Japanese people would often act surprised when I would be a fan of the same things that they enjoyed.
Once I completed the previous courses they helped me tremendously with Service Learning. During service learning me and a team of students taught American children about Japanese culture. With the accurate knowledge that I had acquired from all these experiences I was able to properly educate the students. Some students had many misconceptions about Japan and Japanese culture. Being able to correct them without performing any research.