ENGL 5334: JAPANESE LITERATURE and culture IN CONTEXT
"DO NOT SEEK TO FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE WISE. SEEK WHAT THEY SOUGHT." -MATSUO BASHŌ
ENGL 5334: Japanese Literature and Culture in Context is "a literature course that strives to give students the opportunity to study Japanese culture from the Asuka period (Classical; 538-710) through the Heisei period (1989-present) with special attention to the ways that Japanese culture has been transformed from traditional to contemporary" (Smith). This is accomplished through participating in various cultural activities such as yukata wearing, cooking, calligraphy, chado (tea ceremony), language classes, and more. Students will also have the opportunity to witness several forms of Japanese theater, including kabuki, kado (flower arrangement), gagaku (court music), kyogen (ancient comic play), and bunraku (puppet play).
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From July 6 to July 12, we participated in cultural and language at the beautiful and welcoming Yasuda University. Yasuda University is located in Hiroshima, Japan; the students and faculty at Yasuda University were extremely kind, exciting, helpful, and welcoming. What blew me away was the overwhelming sense of community across the entire campus. If any of the Lamar students were unsure about where to go or what to do, Yasuda volunteers would be there to guide us in the right direction.
The best part about studying at Yasuda University was we lived with host families for the entire duration of our stay in Hiroshima. Each student stayed with a different host family across rural and urban Hiroshima; I was lucky enough to have Aki Watari for a host sister; Aki's pure soul and patient personality helped make my stay in Japan much more relaxing and memorable. This young woman and her parents went over and beyond to make sure that I was comfortable, well fed, and happy while I lived with them. I am honored to say that by the time I left Hiroshima, I gained a new family and sister who I will always cherish in my heart. The second week of our fifteen day trip consisted of many hours of traveling and relishing Japan's rich and vibrant culture. Whether we were basking in the rustic streets and buildings of Kyoto's Gion district, admiring the "Times Square"-esque lights and atmosphere of Osaka, or weaving through the crowded shrines and restaurants in Tokyo, the Lamar students were always excited and eager to experience Japanese culture. We visited many temples, museums, gardens, and shrines; each were majestic and breathtaking in their own right. Cultural activities were spread out through this week, as well. A few examples are the maiko (geisha apprentice) performance, reading haiku and waka poetry at the Shigure-den Literary Theme Park, watching a kabuki performance, and exploring Tokyo's Edo museum. Our time in Japan may have been short, but our photos and memories express volumes of our thanks to Yasuda University's faculty, staff, and students, Lamar University, Dr. Smith, and Dr. Sato, Dr. Palis, Ms. Crossley, family members, colleagues, and friends who helped make this trip possible for all of us. After my stay in Japan, I can honestly say that my spirit has embodied Yasuda Univeristy's motto: it is tender yet firm. |