Rethinking Japan: Introduction to Modern Japanese Society and Culture (Level 4)
Course dates: Monday 26 April - Monday 05 July 2027
Class timetable: 9 sessions (View class timetable for Monday 26 April 2027 to Monday 05 July 2027)
Timetable data for Monday 26 April 2027 to Monday 05 July 2027
| Day of class | Date of class | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 26-Apr-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Monday | 10-May-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Monday | 17-May-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Monday | 24-May-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Monday | 07-Jun-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Monday | 14-Jun-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Monday | 21-Jun-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Monday | 28-Jun-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
| Monday | 05-Jul-2027 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Birkbeck Campus, Central London |
Location: Birkbeck Campus, Central London
Fees: £1615.00
RegisterCourse Overview
On our Rethinking Japan: Introduction to Modern Japanese Society and Culture short course, you will gain a critical understanding of crucial aspects of Japan's modern cultural and social history, and learn some of the main ways of exploring Japanese history and culture, especially its cultural products. You will be introduced to key texts - historical, literary, visual, cinematic and theoretical - which represent and chart two central developments:
- Japan's emergence as a modern, 'Westernised', powerful and imperialistic nation-state (in the early twentieth century)
- Japan's post-war transformation into a high-tech consumer society (1945-present).
We will consider notions of 'Japaneseness' and changing ideas about national and cultural identity, with which Japan has sought to position itself in relation to the West and Asia. We will also scrutinise Western images of Japan and the 'Far East'.
Some of the topics we cover include:
- Japan as a nation and community
- identity in modern Japan
- Japan in Asia
- Western images of Japan
- multicultural Japan
- gender in Japan.
Assessment is via a book review (25%), 2000-word essay (60%) and continuous assessment of post-sessional short essays and class participation (15%).
As a student on this course, you will study alongside Birkbeck students enrolled on one of our undergraduate or postgraduate courses, giving you the opportunity to network with a range of Birkbeck current students while you learn.
This can be taken as a standalone short course or as part of:
Fees
Students are charged a tuition fee for each short course on registering. Please view details for this course, including dates, location and fees at the top of this page. Short course fees may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see our Fees Policy.
Birkbeck's Lifelong Learning Guarantee
If you've studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a reduction on the tuition fee of this course.
Entry Requirements
Most of our short courses have no formal entry requirements and are open to all students.
This short course has no prerequisites.
As part of the registration process, you may be required to submit a copy of a suitable form of ID.
International students who wish to come to the UK to study a short course can apply for a Visitor visa. Please note that it is not possible to obtain a Student visa to study a short course.
How to Register
You register directly onto the classes you would like to take. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis - so register early.
If you want to take more than one short course, you can select each one separately and then register onto them together via our online application portal. There is usually no formal selection process, although some modules may have prerequisites and/or other requirements, which will be specified where relevant.