JPS2170

Women in Japanese society

Wendy Smith

8 points
* 3 hours per week
* Second semester
* Clayton
* Prerequisites: A first-year sequence in Japanese studies or Japanese language, or in women's studies, or at the discretion of the coordinator

Objectives Upon completion of this subject, students should be familiar with the role of women in a variety of social structures (family, workplace, education system, the law, the arts, religion, the entertainment industry); have an ability to assess critically the way Japanese women are represented in a variety of media (visual and print, film, art works, advertising); and have a general understanding of the history of women's roles and status in Japan.

Synopsis This subject will introduce students to the issue of gender in Japanese society and culture. It will do this against a background of competing feminist theories. It will examine the roles assigned to women in Japanese social structures such as the family, religion, education, the workplace; representations of women in various Japanese media; and changes in the status of women and the role of the Japanese women's movement in the era of internationalisation.

Assessment Essay (2500 words): 45%
* Tutorial presentation (1500 words): 20%
* Examination (2 hours): 25%
* Tutorial participation: 10%

Prescribed texts

Iwao S The Japanese woman-traditional image and changing reality Harvard U P, 1994

Recommended texts

Hunter Janet (ed.) Japanese women working Routledge, 1993
Tokita Alison (ed.) Representations of women in Japanese cultural forms Japanese Studies Centre, Monash U, 1995
Mackie Vera (ed.) Feminism and the state in Japan Japanese Studies Centre, Monash U, 1995