Everyone dies. Because death and the afterlife are unknowable, people have attempted to imagine, visualize, and write about what comes after life in order to understand or overcome fear of the unknowable and inescapable. Since the beginning of recorded time, therefore, death has found its way into religion, art, and literary expression to demystify its meaning. This course surveys the literary discourse of death and dying in Japanese literature from the 8th to the 19th centuries. It is both a chronological introduction to the literary tradition and an exploration of the concept of death in premodern Japan. Our readings include mythologies, narratives, Buddhist didactic tales, poetry, diaries, and other theatrical works, all in English translation. We will learn and practice the skills of close reading, interpretation, and literary analysis through class discussions and critical writing about representations of death. We will study important works concerned with the rhetoric and topos of death within their historical, political, religious, social, and cultural contexts, aiming to establish connections across time and between writers and readers. The most important, yet paradoxical, lesson of this course is that focusing on death leads to reconsidering and celebrating the value of life.

Experiences of Japanese men and women in the second world war as portrayed in short stories, novels, and poetry written in Japan since the end of the war. All readings done in English translation.

This course provides an overview of the history of Buddhism in Japan. Major themes covered in the course include an integration of indigenous "kami veneration" (Shinto) into a Buddhist theological framework; a doctrinal emphasis placed on the notion of Buddha nature or "original enlightenment" (hongaku); the rise of the so-called Kamakura schools of Buddhism; bureaucratic roles imparted to Buddhist temples during the Tokugawa period; and challenges Buddhism faces in contemporary Japanese society.

Sounds, words, grammar, change, writing, variation, and use of the Japanese language; provides basis for further study in the field.

Advanced conversation, grammar, reading and writing in modern Japanese.

Advanced conversation, grammar, reading and writing in modern Japanese.

Qualified students working on an individual basis with professors who have agreed to supervise such work.

Qualified students working on an individual basis with professors who have agreed to supervise such work.

The practical application, on an individual basis, of previously studied theory and the collection of data for future theoretical interpretation.

The study of the evolution of Japanese social values, aesthetic expression, religion and political institutions in order to understand Japan's cultural heritage and contemporary society.