Discussions of Liza Dalby’s Geisha.

In Weeks 13 and 14, we will be discussing Liza Dalby’s Geisha.

These will be student-led discussions, with a group of students responsible for leading discussion on a substantial section of the book. Everyone in the class will be responsible for reading the assigned chapters, but each group should come up with questions that draw attention to the most interesting parts of the chapters. Members of each group should ensure that you are together covering the entire section and not, for example, all coming up with a series of questions on kimono (which is only one aspect of performance); ideally, you should also look at how each chapter ties into a larger theme. I recommend corresponding through e-mail or by using the Group function in Blackboard.

The best way to facilitate a good discussion is through thoughtful questions that address the most engaging parts of the reading. Questions should be as open-ended as possible in order to encourage a broad range of comments. Any question that can be answered with a simple yes or no will tend to shut down discussion, as will a question that is so specific that students start looking for the precise place in the book where that topic was covered.

Because this counts as a significant chunk of your overall grade, you should make sure that your own contributions are clear. I recommend that each of you submit a list of individual discussion questions so that I can take that into consideration when I am grading.

Week 13.        Apr. 21. Courtesans and performance in modern Japan.
Text: Geisha, Chapters 6, 8, 14, and 16.

Aspects of performance
“The Beginning of Things” (Chap. 6, 97-117)
“Geisha Parties” (Chap. 8, 139-161)
“Three Strings” (Chap. 14, 251-67)
“Kimono” (Chap. 16, 281-301)

Week 14.        Apr. 26-28. An anthropological perspective on contemporary geisha.
Text: Geisha, Chapters 1-3, 7, 9, 12.

Individuals and relationships, part 1
“Sisters” (Chap. 1, 3-15)
“Kyoto” (Chap. 2, 17-33)
“Ties that Bind” (Chap. 3, 35-47)

Individuals and relationships, part 2
“Generations” (Chap. 7, 119-37)
“The Elusive Geisha” (Chap. 9, 165-75)
“Art and Life” (Chap. 12, 211-27)