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Lectures: MWF 10:10-11:05am, 212 Houghton House
Office hours: M 2:30-3:30pm, W 3:30-4:30pm, or by appointment, 208 Houghton House
Course description:
This course will take an interdisciplinary
approach to the arts and culture of Japan from the Neolithic period through
the twentieth century. We will consider examples of visual media in the
context of Japanese literature, history, society and religions. Topics
will include Shintō architecture, Buddhist art (including Pure Land
and Zen), narrative picture scrolls, traditional and western-style paintings,
shōin architecture, gardens, tea ceremony ceramics and ukiyo-e prints
("pictures of the floating world"). Students will read primary sources
in translation, including Shintō myths, Buddhist texts and selections
from literature. There are no prerequisites, and no previous exposure
to Japanese art or culture is necessary. The course is cross-listed with Asian Languages & Cultures, Architectural
Studies and Media & Society.
It addresses Goals 6 (an intellectually grounded foundation for the understanding of differences and inequalities of gender, race, and class) and 7 (knowledge of the multiplicity of world cultures).
Textbooks:
* Penelope Mason, History of Japanese Art, 2nd ed. (New York: Abrams, 2005).
*
Sylvan Barnet, ed., A Short Guide to Writing about Art, 10th ed. (New York: Longman, 2011)— recommended for students new to art history.
Supplementary handouts:
* Wm. Theodore de Bary et al., ed., Sources of Japanese Tradition, Vol. 1, 2nd ed. (New York: Columbia University Press, 2001), 1-9, 17-31, 36, 114-15, 217-22, 274-76, 388-98.
* Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji, trans. Royall Tyler (New York: Penguin Books, 2001), 673-93, 753-63.
* Karen Brock, trans., “Miraculous Origins of Mt. Shigi.”
* Karen Brock, trans., “Tale of the Ban Major Counselor.”
Weekly schedule:
Week 1. Jan. 19-21. Introduction and prehistoric period.
Readings: Mason 13-28.
Jan. 19. Overview of the course.
Jan. 21. The Jōmon and Yayoi periods.
Week 2. Jan. 24-28. Indigenous religious architecture.
Readings: Mason 28-39, 53-57; De Bary 1-9, 17-31, 36.
Jan. 24. Keyhole-shaped tombs of the Kofun period.
Jan. 26. Ritual artifacts and ornamented tombs of the Kofun period.
Jan. 28. Shintō architecture at Izumo and Ise; RESPONSE PAPER due.
Week 3. Jan. 31-Feb. 4. Impact of China and Buddhism on Japan.
Readings: Mason 40-53, 57-60, 95-97, 98-99.
Jan. 31. Chinese city planning in Heijōkyō (Nara) and art from the continent.
Feb. 2. Japanese paintings in Chinese style.
Feb. 4. Introduction to Buddhism and early Japanese Buddhist art.
Week 4. Feb. 7-11. Hōryūji and imperial patronage.
Readings: Mason 60-83.
Feb. 7. Architecture of Hōryūji and its precedents
Feb. 9. Sculpture and painting at Hōryūji.
Feb. 11. LIBRARY ORIENTATION. Meet on the first floor of the Library at 10:10am.
Week 5. Feb. 14-18. Art, architecture, and patronage in the capitals.
Readings: Mason 83-109; De Bary 114-15.
Feb. 14. Nara’s Buddhist temples and the arts.
Feb. 16. Nara’s Buddhist temples and the arts, cont.;
RESPONSE PAPER due.
Feb. 18. Imperial palace and aristocratic estates in Heiankyō (Kyōto).
Week 6. Feb. 21-25. The Early Heian period and the rise of a distinctly Japanese aesthetic.
Readings: Mason 110-18, 120-22; Murasaki 673-93, 753-63; “Tale of the Ban Major Counselor.”
*Quiz this week*
Feb. 21. Literature, calligraphy, poetry, and the rise of yamato-e.
Feb. 23. Art and literature: the Tale of Genji scroll.
Feb. 25. Picture scrolls and politics.
Week 7. Feb. 28-Mar. 4. Art and Esoteric Buddhist practice in the Middle to Late Heian.
Readings: Mason 118-20, 122-41; “Miraculous Origins of Mt. Shigi.”
Feb. 28. Tōji and Esoteric Buddhist texts;
RESEARCH PAPER PROPOSAL due.
Mar. 2. Esoteric Buddhist sculpture and architecture.
Mar. 4. Picture scrolls and Esoteric Buddhism.
Week 8. Mar. 7-11. Art and Buddhist worship in the Middle to Late Heian.
Readings: Mason 142-57; De Bary 217-22.
Mar. 7. TBA.
Mar. 9. Representing the Pure Land in art and architecture.
Mar. 11. Shaka, Amida, and Kannon worship in art and architecture;
FIRST TEST due.
[March 12-20, SPRING BREAK]
Week 9. Mar. 21-25. Art, architecture, and political upheaval in the Kamakura period.
Readings: Mason 166-211; De Bary 274-76.
Mar. 21. Literary art and picture scrolls.
Mar. 23. Buddhist art and architecture associated with the Kei School.
Mar. 25. Pure Land devotional paintings;
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY & SEARCH PRINTOUTS due.
Week 10. Mar. 28-Apr. 1. Art and Zen in the Muromachi and Momoyama periods.
Readings: Mason 211-33; De Bary 388-98.
Mar. 28. Zen architecture and gardens.
Mar. 30. Priest-painters.
Apr. 1. Introduction to tea culture; RESPONSE PAPER due.
Week 11. Apr. 4-8. Art and monumental architecture of the Momoyama and early Edo.
Readings: Mason 235-54.
*Quiz this week*
Apr. 4. Castles.
Apr. 6. The Katsura Imperial Villa; film: Traditional Japanese Architecture.
Apr. 8. Decorative painting and genre painting.
Week 12. Apr. 11-15. Social class and pictorial arts in the Edo period.
Readings: Mason 254-317.
Apr. 11. The Kanō school and independent masters.
Apr. 13. Sōtatsu and the Rinpa school.
Apr. 15. Ukiyo-e: paintings and prints of the floating world;
RESEARCH PAPER due.
Week 13. Apr. 18-22. Different approaches to art in the late Edo period.
Readings: Mason 317-42.
Apr. 18. Religious architecture, sculpture, and painting.
Apr. 20. Realist and eccentric painters.
Apr. 22. Bunjinga: literati painting and Chinese themes and styles.
Week 14. Apr. 25-29. Art, architecture, and modernism.
Readings: Mason 343-81.
Apr. 25. Tokyo architecture.
Apr. 27. Sculpture and ceramics.
Apr. 29. Meiji, Taishō and Shōwa era painting.
Week 15. May 2. Prints, photos, and multimedia art.
Readings: Mason 382-91.
Finals Week. May 7. SECOND TEST due.
Course requirements:
1. Class participation (15%). This includes regular and punctual attendance (see Attendance policy below) and participating in discussions in class or on the Blackboard discussion board. I grade participation on a daily basis, as follows: A for speaking up in class or on the discussion board (even to ask a question or to answer one of my questions incorrectly), B for showing up to class but not speaking, C for not paying attention or coming in late, zero (0) for not coming to class at all.
2. Quizzes (5%). Quizzes will be administered online, on Blackboard. They are noted on the calendar, and missed quizzes cannot be made up.
3. Response papers (15%). Throughout the semester you will write several one- to two-page papers responding to some of the primary sources we will read in translation. More details to follow.
4. Research paper (25%), due Friday, Apr. 15. This is to be a short research paper on a single Japanese object or site. More details to follow.
5. First test (20%), due Friday, Mar. 11. This take-home test covers Weeks 1-7.
6. Second test (20%), due Saturday, May 7, 10:00pm. This take-home test covers Weeks 8-15.
Office hours:
I am happy to meet with you outside of class during my office hours (see top of syllabus), or at another time that is convenient for you, in 208 Houghton House. The best way to reach me to set up an appointment is by e-mail, but please note that I regularly read e-mail only between 9:00am and 4:30pm.
Attendance policy:
I consider attendance at lectures to be mandatory. Asian art history is a challenging subject; don’t make it impossible by skipping class! That said, if you have a reasonable excuse for missing a class, I expect you to notify me as soon as possible—preferably in advance—and to turn in a one-page essay on the topics covered on the day of your absence, within a week. Not doing so will directly impact your participation grade. If you are absent four times or more, you should be prepared for me to notify the Deans about your performance. I will be taking attendance regularly.
Attendance and religious holidays:
“The Colleges accept the responsibility of making available to each student who is absent from class because of religious obligations and practices an equivalent opportunity to make up any examination, study or work requirement missed.”
Please inform me in advance of any religious holidays when you will be out of class. I do my best to avoid religious holidays with regard to due dates, but there are times when that is impossible. Please talk to me if you have any difficulties!
Format for written
work:
One of the things you
will learn in an art history class is the importance of presentation.
This applies to your written work as well:
1. Type all work in a 12-point
font.
2. Double-space.
3. Leave one-inch margins on all sides.
4. Number your pages.
5. Staple your work.
6. Put your name on every page and the date on the first page.
7. Check that your spelling,
grammar and punctuation are correct--these are crucial to effective communication
of your ideas. I will lower your grade if you have excessive errors.
8. If you cite another source, use either parenthetical references or
footnotes. (See A note about cheating and plagiarism below.) Make sure
that you follow a regular documentation style (ideally the one found in the Chicago Manual of Style, which is what art historians most typically use).
9. Include pictures with captions if appropriate (and please attach them
to a clean sheet of paper--do not give me loose postcards, illustrations
torn from magazines, or copies of the books you found the pictures in.
Black-and-white photocopies are okay).
A note about cheating
and plagiarism:
I will not tolerate any
form of academic dishonesty. Not only does it destroy the trust that I
have in you to do your best, it is unfair to the other students, and obviously
you will not learn anything if you resort to cheating. If I find that
you have cheated on a test or on a written assignment, you will receive
a zero for the assignment and I will contact the Deans and/or the Committee
on Standards about your case.
Now, just in case you are not
clear about what plagiarism is: plagiarism is the use of someone else's
words or ideas without giving that person credit. In application, this
means that in your writing assignments, you need to cite your sources.
When quoting directly from a text--say, five words or more in succession--you
need to put those words in quotation marks and include a parenthetical
reference or footnote citing the source. When rewriting a passage from
a text in your own words, you don't need the quotation marks but you do
still need the parenthetical reference or footnote. If you don't understand
exactly what constitutes plagiarism, or how to use parenthetical references
or footnotes, please ask me. I would prefer to explain what it is and
how to avoid it before it happens rather than after.
Grading:
Tests and quizzes will receive numerical grades; the research paper will receive a letter grade. Response papers will receive a check-plus, check, or check-minus. Make-up written assignments, which count as part of your participation grade, will receive a check or a check-minus. If you are unsatisfied with a grade, please prepare a written statement explaining what grade you think you should have received and why, and submit it to me along with the assignment for review.
Papers are due during the class period on the due date. Please turn in a hard copy. PLEASE NOTE: I mark down one-third of a letter grade (for example, from A to A-) for each calendar day that a paper is late. If you think you will need an extension, you should talk to me as early as possible.
My grading scale is as follows:
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A+ 97-100 |
A 93-97 |
A- 90-93 |
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B+ 87-90 |
B 83-87 |
B- 80-83 |
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C+ 77-80 |
C 73-77 |
C- 70-73 |
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D+ 67-70 |
D 63-67 |
D- 60-63 |
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F 0-60 |
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A note about the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL):
At Hobart and William Smith Colleges, we encourage students to seek the academic collaboration and resources that will enable them to do their best work. The CTL offers a variety of resources that can help students achieve academic success, including Teaching Fellows (for course content help in the departments of Anthropology/Sociology, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Geoscience, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Spanish & Hispanic Studies), Writing Colleagues (for help on papers), Study Mentors (for help with study skills and time management), Group Study Tables (for content help in specific courses), and more.
The CTL resources most useful for this class include Writing Colleagues and Study Mentors. For more information on these resources, visit the CTL website or visit the CTL Blackboard site.
Disability accommodations:
If you are a student with a disability for which you may need accommodations, you should self-identify and register for services with the Coordinator of Disability Services at the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and provide documentation of your disability. Disability related accommodations and services generally will not be provided until the registration and documentation process is complete. The guidelines for documenting disabilities can be found here.
Please direct questions about this process or Disability Services at HWS to David Silver, Coordinator of Disability Services, x3351.
Websites:
There are two websites for this course: one at my homepage and one at Blackboard. This syllabus, paper assignments and links to online resources for Japanese art can be found at both. The Blackboard site also has a course calendar, daily handouts, a discussion board, and an online gradebook. |
