TEXTS: Zen packet ($2.00 photocopy)
Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.
Natsume Soseki, Botchan (novel)
Ibuse Masuji, Black Rain (novel)
A Late Chrysanthemum: 21 Stories from the Japanese.
From the Country of 8 Islands (poetry anthology) .

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

(1) Two 4-5 page essays (100+ words), 1 on Zen, 1 on Ibuse, and one 3-page essay analysis of a poem.
(2) A thoughtful Course Journal (CJ): looseleaf, bound in a flat paper (no plastic) binder. 18 entries minimum (most scheduled on course calendar); 2 special entries added at end of term, TBA. Number, date, and title each entry, and write only on one side of the page. Assignments will vary. I'll collect CJ's (w/warning) to read them as a sort of class newspaper about how you're doing; I won't mark them much. If you write additional entries, great! Insert them chronologically according to date written, and label them "Extra: #15A", "Extra 15B" and so forth. Do not bind daily class discussion/lecture notes into your CJ.
Your CJ will include an entry responding to a thoughtful extracurricular tour of the Japanese art collection at S.A.A.M. (Volunteer Park) plus two on 2-3 student presentations, explaining what you learned and how they related to course material
(3) A researched presentation: teach the class for 20 minutes about some relevant aspect of Japanese character, art, culture, or history, which you'll research or create independently (a poet may choose to compose a series of J/nese-style poems -- haiku or tanka or other -- and do a poetry reading for the class, then discuss the poems in light of Japanese poetry in the same style, or a visual artist may produce some Japanese-style ink drawings or raku pottery, then show and discuss them. Presentations are scheduled throughout the term.

ATTENDANCE & PUNCTUALITY: Class presence and participation are essential, and the 40-minute period is short. Come to class, and be on time, to prevent a term grade loss of 1/3 point (e.g., from B to B-) or more. If you miss class time and aren't on the attendance sheet as Excused or Ill, take the initiative to find me outside class and explain (personal contact is preferable to E-mail or notes). If you are unprepared for class or aren't turning in an assignment due, inform me before class. If you require an extension on a formal paper deadline, make your request several days in advance. Thank you.

COURSE GOALS: Having never had formal instruction in Japanese literature, I set up the course so that you and I can teach ourselves and each other in the subject. We begin with and return to the question, "What is Western about Western literature?" -- recalling material from American Writers (in order to have common ground from which to explore cultural influences that make J/nese lit. distinctive). And we all do research. The class should come to see how J/nese literature is influenced by certain conceptions of self and group, by a heritage of philosophical monism (vs. Western dualisms), by an aesthetic of austerity and spontaneity, and by a non-Western sense of literary character, plot, and subject. We should also grow more sophisticated about problems of interpretation that arise when reading any literature, especially across cultures, by becoming aware of the "personal" and "American" values and assumptions we use when reading, and by comparing these with whatever "Japanese" values and assumptions we surmise.

Other goals (as for any senior course in lit): participate in class discussion; develop spontaneous personal responses into strong interpretations and analyses with support, logical reasoning, etc.; understand literary technique (point of view, style, character, theme, tone, etc.); improve writing (focus, voice, logic, depth, independence of mind, thoroughness, correctness).