JPNB47 Japanese Martial Arts and Their Image

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2020
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Yuko Kawauchi, Ph.D. (lecturer), Mgr. Marek Mikeš, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Marek Mikeš, Ph.D.
Department of Japanese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Japanese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Fri 3. 4. 10:00–15:40 B2.41, Fri 17. 4. 10:00–15:40 B2.41, Fri 24. 4. 10:00–15:40 B2.41, Fri 15. 5. 10:00–15:40 B2.41
Prerequisites
Knowledge of English
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 35 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/35, only registered: 0/35, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/35
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 6 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The works of pop culture which are produced for entertainment have largely drawn from from history and tradition. On the other hand, from the perspective of history and tradition, such works have added new values and images to them. The aim of this course is to investigate how the traditional culture and its history can been interpreted and represented in pop culture and how the contemporary reception can affect the image of the traditional culture itself, by using Japanese martial arts and Japanese pop culture (mainly video fighting games) for a case study. We begin with going over the two radical changes in the history of the Japanese martial arts to see how its social meaning has broadly changed so far and with discussing how pop culture utilizes certain elements selectively after we watch demonstration videos of several fighting games. Japanese martial arts have two different aspects historically: a technique of fighting as it originally developed and a kind of sportive activities as we can see with jūdō in the Olympic Games. On top of them, the function as a mental training through the practice and its Japaneseness is the most emphasized feature currently by The Japanese Budō Association. Video fighting games, on the other hand, also allow the players to fight with the martial arts, however, the experience is designed by the game developers.
Learning outcomes
On the completion of this course, students should be able to:
(1) Demonstrate basic knowledge about the history of the Japanese martial arts and fighting video games.
(2) Observe a wide range of contemporary entertainments in terms of their cultural and historical contexts.
(3) Listen actively to class discussion, in order to engage in academic debate with their peers, and allow others to express their opinion in an ‘open forum’ environment.
(4) Critically assess the value of statements made by others (secondary works, peers, tutor) and themselves.
Syllabus
  • Week One -3 April 1. Introduction: introduction to the history of Japanese martial arts, introduction to a frame work of game and character analysis, discussion on demonstration videos 2, 3. How pop culture chooses what to utilize from the resources: Karate and Sumo
  • Week Two-17 April 4, 5, 6. When pop culture overcomes the historical truth: Ninja/ Ninjutsu
  • Week Three- 24 April 7, 8. Representation of the female fighters: superhuman strength to Naginata 9. Mid-term presentation
  • Week Four- 15 May 10, 11. To make deadly force playable: Kendo 12. Final presentation
  • Preparation: Watch play videos (or play, if possible) of sword fighting of Soul Calibur series (any) and Samurai Blade and describe the both features.
Literature
  • Cultural code : video games and Latin America / Phillip Penix-Tadsen MIT Press 2016
  • Japanese culture through videogames / Rachael Hutchinson Routledge 2019
  • DONOHUE, John J. Warrior dreams : the martial arts and the American imagination. Westport, Conn.: Bergin & Garvey, 1994, xii, 144. ISBN 0897893468. info
Teaching methods
Lecture and instructor-led debates will be the main teaching method. Participants are recommended to watch play videos of the fighting games related to the topic of the week prior to the class and make short notes about features of characters (gender/ body features/ costumes/ background graphics/ etc). The class will be constructed with a lecture part (history of the weekly topic and the history of its representations) and a discussion part which involves game play and its analysis.
Assessment methods
Participation (30): Class participation includes attendance, participation in class discussion, and completion of any preparation task.
Presentation (15x2): Participants are required to give a mid-term and a final presentation on individual project. Handouts or scripts for the presentations should be submitted by e-mail or in person by the day of the presentation.
A seminar paper (40): Participants are asked to write a seminar paper ( 2500 words) on the research topic you choose which should be related to the representation of the Japanese martial arts in pop culture.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
General note: Předmět je určen i pro studenty mimo mateřské obory.
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