thursday (8/1) afternoon readings

[Anonymous]

I downloaded I Am a Cat by Soseki Natsume (like we didn't have enough to read!) on my Kindle. I read just the first few pages, but it is pretty hilarious. I think students would enjoying reading it and it would be a good tool for teaching point of view.
edited by amarkovich on 8/1/2013

[Anonymous]

I loved "The Vampire Riding in the Taxi." Reminds me of current US pop culture, "True Blood" and "Twilight." I guess vampires in all countries are tired of being stereotyped.

[Anonymous]

I think I maybe seeing the vampire in the wrong light...haha pun...I took it to mean that you are what you are if you truly believe it but if society fines your being to be against the grain..you take on another persona and only share with those you feel can confine in it...

[Anonymous]

I really enjoyed this overview of modern writing in Japan. I was only familiar with the smallest slice of any of it beforehand, and many selections I can use in my classroom, either as a one off or as part of a lit group or larger study. It's great to have the resources and books, but it takes it another step to know the context and deeper meanings of texts of this period. I definitely plan to use more manga and a portion of "I am a Cat"!

[Anonymous]

It wasn't until taking this class did I realize just how much Japanese culture is infused in American pop culture. Somethings in everyday life become so common that it becomes a part of us and we begin to forget or even consider its origins. For instance my favorite scent from Bath and Body Works is Cherry Blossom and my daughter loves everything Hello Kitty, as did I when I was a child. My husband and I truly enjoy eating at Sushi restaurants while my children love testing the limits of our ear drums as they karaoke their hearts away".
A great opportunity for students to really see how much our culture is not only a result of the historical melting pot but how it continues to be influenced by cultures from around the world is to pick 3 countries (or any number)and have students look at their individual life, food, clothes, hobbies, sports, nick nacks, furniture, words, forms of entertainment, ect and have them make a list of how many things have an origin from the given country. The next day as a class create a clas list using answers from all students this will allow them to see how much daily influence other countries have on our culture and will allow students to compare their list with those of other students.

[Anonymous]

i agree...i think a salad bowl approach is the way i look at all the different cultures in one country...

[Anonymous]

What I do with your project is that I make them pick another culture to do the project on....

[Anonymous]

Love professor Jung-Kim presentation on modern Japanese literature. She helped me remember how an author's background, experiences, ethnicity, race, and gender really influences their art form. I could have my students compare authors from different countries (East Asian countries) who write about the same type of story, genre, theme...family, friendship, etc. and give an explanation of how their work is influenced by how they were raised in their (countries) environments.

[Anonymous]

I am some what surprised and to be quite honest a bit perplexed by the fascination with anime and manga. However, I do understand that it's more of a generational gap issue then anything else. I see the value that it holds for many of my students, therefore, it's important that stay in touch with these fascinating cultural bridges that can be utilized as avenues for making connections and transferring related topics.

[Anonymous]

http://thediplomat.com/asia-life/2013/08/barefoot-gen-manga-history-and-japans-right-wing-fringe

[cgao]

"In a Grove" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa
Excerpt from Kokoro by Natsume Soseki
"The Izu Dancer" by Yasunari Kawabata
"The Last Time" by Kono Taeko
"Silent Traders" by Yuko Tsushima
"The Vampire Riding in the Taxi"
edited by cgao on 8/1/2013

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[Anonymous]

Lynne Miyake's presentation on Japanese anime was very interesting. Our students started school last week and in our discussions anime has already come up. I was glad when I recognized some of the anime my students like from the presentation. I was able to understand their references in relation to the topic we were discussing.

The handout that Ms. Miyake provided has so many relevant resources for my English classroom. I have started looking at the websites and am finding tons great readings to use in class, especially from the Literature Across the Curriculum website from Asia for Educators, Columbia University.

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