Throughout the contemporary era, the United States' popular culture has spread abroad, including to Japan. After the American Occupation of Japan, Japanese popular culture began to spread to the United States, notably in film and animation. From this point onward, both nations' popular cultures have mutually influenced each other and in some cases created crossovers, where Japanese popular culture would be recreated in the United States and United States' popular culture would be recreated in Japan. This course takes a cultural studies approach to the rich exchange of these pieces of hybrid popular culture and the social, political, cultural, and sometimes violent forces that undergird them, along with the real lives affected by these forces. It will reflect on the original context of the popular culture in the United States or Japan, its recontextualization and translation in the other country, and in some cases further iterations of this process. Themes include war, Orientalism, horror, the radical Other, and entertainment industries. Media include film, theatre, animation, toys, haunted houses, and origami.
Units
3
Grade Basis
Regular Grades