- Critically analyze the ways gender and femininity are framed and performed in Japanese films, with attention to cinematic style and content, as well as to the socio-historical circumstances that inform them
- Become familiar with critical approaches to gender, and inquire what the variety and performance of different femininities can reveal about, among other things, media production and reception, social and regional politics

This course examines several different ways that gender -- with particular focus on, but not limited to femininity -- has been imagined, promoted, and challenged in Japanese films. By paying close attention to the myriad ways that gender and femininity have been conceptualized, established, and received, we will explore key questions such as: what kinds of bodies, lifestyles, or spaces are associated with these femininities? How have socio-historical factors impacted not only the construction of gender roles and identities, but also cinema's capacity to contribute or comment on them? For example, how does a film or genre’s presentation of certain types of femininity define the ways that media, and more broadly, the ways things marked “feminine,” are received by the general public? In grappling with these questions, we will consider what the multiple shifts in such representation might mean for our broader understanding of gender, media, society, and history. We will begin by looking at critical frameworks for thinking through gender and femininity, their many expressions and modes of circulation.

1

Introduction

2

Thinking through “Performance” and “Femininity”

3

Going My Way? The Modern Girl and the Trappings of Convention

4

“A Dream Night”: Perfecting the Exotic, Feminine Other

5

One for All: Femininity, Pathos, and Memory

6

In the Fast Lane: Re-Figuring Femininity for a New Generation

7

Theatre of Femininities: Boundary-Crossings in Performance and Parody

8

In Full Bloom: Coding Gendered Behaviour, Desires, and Fantasies

9

Suburban Dreaming: Re-Visiting Aspirations and Gendered Roles of the "Family Home"

10

Discover the Girlscape: Charting New Spaces and Aesthetics in Marketing and Media

11

Me-Me-Me-Mania: Performing Self/Selves in the Public/Private

12

In One’s Own Skin: Identity, Belonging, and Sartorial Subcultures

13

Winding Roads: Navigating Memory and Performance

14

Conclusions & Student Presentations

板書 /Writing on the Board
スライド（パワーポイント等）の使用 /Slides (PowerPoint, etc.)
上記以外の視聴覚教材の使用 /Audiovisual Materials Other than Those Listed Above
個人発表 /Individual Presentations
グループ発表 /Group Presentations
ディスカッション・ディベート /Discussion/Debate
実技・実習・実験 /Practicum/Experiments/Practical Training
学内の教室外施設の利用 /Use of On-Campus Facilities Outside the Classroom
校外実習・フィールドワーク /Field Work
上記いずれも用いない予定 /None of the above

Students are expected to come to class having completed the assigned viewings and readings for the week, prepared to discuss them. Students will also be required to submit weekly responses to the weekly materials on the course’s discussion board.

- Class attendance is mandatory. If you know you will be absent, especially on a day that assignments are due, please be sure to notify and make arrangements with the instructor in advance.
- Students are expected to submit all assignments on time. Late work will only be accepted through prior discussion with and permission from the instructor.