JAPN 311 - Social Issues In Japan
As the drive to rebuild modern Japan after WWII 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.
Meets MLO 2
Meets MLO 2
Course Reflective Narrative
In JAPN 311, we discussed various social issues in Japan, such as gendered labor, false homogeneity, and conflicts related to U.S. military presence in Japan. For each discussion topic, we were issued various readings to give us an in-depth understanding of the conflict’s history and origins. Learning about the past of various conflicts helped our understanding about why these topics were important for discussion, and how they are relevant today. For example, when referring to the current issue of the U.S.’s continued military presence in Japan, we began with a discussion about U.S. occupation after WWII. After understanding the original purpose of the U.S. occupation and its lack of support in Japan, we were able to come to our own conclusions about the lack of purpose for U.S. involvement in Japanese affairs and became better informed about the injustices related to the military bases and Japanese civilians. We were also able to apply this same thinking to our own research papers. In my case, I wrote my final research paper on the discrimination of Burakumin in Japan after being inspired by the movie Departures (2009).
One of my favorite topics we discussed was about false homogeneity in Japan, specifically related to the discrimination of mixed race children, foreigners, and the indigenous people of Japan. I’ve always known that foreigners tend to be less welcomed than native Japanese. However, the severity and complexity of the discrimination against non-Japanese became a much more important issue to me after taking this course. As a result, I decided that I wanted to pursue racial and ethnic perceptions as my research subject for my major’s Capstone project. Moving forward, I would like to put in more research on my own time to promote awareness about Japan’s social issues, specifically related to bullying and mental health among youth in Japan.
Final Research Paper
One of my favorite topics we discussed was about false homogeneity in Japan, specifically related to the discrimination of mixed race children, foreigners, and the indigenous people of Japan. I’ve always known that foreigners tend to be less welcomed than native Japanese. However, the severity and complexity of the discrimination against non-Japanese became a much more important issue to me after taking this course. As a result, I decided that I wanted to pursue racial and ethnic perceptions as my research subject for my major’s Capstone project. Moving forward, I would like to put in more research on my own time to promote awareness about Japan’s social issues, specifically related to bullying and mental health among youth in Japan.
Final Research Paper