Drawing on the key genres of Japanese modern and contemporary cultural production – manga, anime, film and visual arts – Japanese Popular Culture introduces students to the cultural narratives of postwar Japan and examines how the traditions and cultural roots of the past continue to influence cultural behavior and production today. Approaching these visual texts from a variety of socio-cultural, psychological and literary perspectives, the course will examine how meanings are produced in image and text and how these visual representations construct identities and present such social issues as gender, youth culture, the individual, the family and the community.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Demonstrate a solid understanding of the defining characteristics of Japanese visual culture;
2. Demonstrate a solid understanding of how the traditions and cultural roots of the past continue to influence cultural behaviour and practice today;
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical paradigms that apply to cultural studies and an ability to draw on this theoretical and cultural knowledge to analyse primary materials;
4. Develop a variety of analytic, research and communicative skills; information gathering and evaluation, academic writing, debating, discussion leading and presentation skills;
5. Develop the ability to work in cooperative groups on key issues in the field of Japanese cultural studies and to communicate findings to others.

Required Resources

All readings will be made available on the course wattle site.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction to Japanese culture and popular culture
2	Miyazake and Tezuka: Godfathers of anime and manga
3	War, apocalypse and rebirth	In-class tutorial presentations begin from this week.
4	Postwar decay: Violence and troubled youth
5	Cultural responses to disaster
6	Families in transition	Students are required to submit at least one (of two) Tutorial Reading Responses by this week. The Media Opinion Piece is due at the end of this week (Sunday 2 April at 11:55pm).
7	Gender politics: Femininities
8	Gender politics: Masculinities	The Essay Plan is due at the end of this week (Sunday 3 April at 11:55pm).
9	Queer Japan
10	Race, ethnicity and minority identity
11	Disability and disease in pop culture
12	Going global: Cultural exports and soft power
13		The Final Essay is due at the end of this week (Sunday 4 June at 11:55pm).

Tutorial Registration

Please register for a tutorial via MyTimetable.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Tutorial Reading Response x 2 (500 words)	20 %	*	*	1, 2, 3
Media Opinion Piece (800 words)	25 %	02/04/2023	17/04/2023	1, 2, 3
Essay Plan (Abstract and Annotated Bibliography, 1000 words)	15 %	30/04/2023	08/05/2023	1, 2, 3
Final Essay (2000 words)	20 %	04/06/2023	*	1, 2, 3
Tutorial Presentation	10 %	*	*	1, 2, 3
Participation	10 %	*	*	1, 2, 3, 4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Please note that active, engaged participation is included in the course assessment.

Assessment Task 1

Tutorial Reading Response x 2 (500 words)

Tutorial Reading Responses - 10% each (1, 2, 3, 4)

• The goal of this assessment task is to encourage each student to develop their writing skills and to engage critically with the weekly readings.
• Students are required to answer one of the week’s Tutorial Reading Response Questions.
• Students may choose which weeks they would like to submit a Tutorial Reading Response - however at least one must be submitted by the end of Week 6.
• Graded responses with feedback will be returned the week after submission.
• Please refer to Wattle for more details.

Assessment Task 2

Media Opinion Piece (800 words)

Media Opinion Piece - 25% (1, 2, 3, 4)

• The goal of this task is to encourage students to write a persuasive opinion piece on a hot topic. It will allow students to explore a current, interesting or important issue, event, experience or idea associated with Japanese popular culture of their choosing in greater detail. 
• We will have a workshop on how to write a Media Opinion Piece in Week 5.
• This assignment is due at 11:55pm on Sunday 2 April.
• Please refer to Wattle for more details.

Assessment Task 3

Essay Plan (Abstract and Annotated Bibliography, 1000 words)

Essay Plan - 15% (1, 2, 3, 4)

• The goal of this task is to encourage students to begin planning their final essay early and to allow them to receive feedback on their plan.
• Students are required to submit a 200 word abstract outlining their intended argument for their final essay and an annotated bibliography of 4 sources (up to 200 words each) which summaries the source and explains how they plan to use it in their essay.
• This assignment is due at 11:55pm on Sunday 30 April.
• Please refer to Wattle for more details.

Assessment Task 4

Final Essay (2000 words)

Final Essay - 20% (1, 2, 3, 4)

• The goal of this task is to write to academic essay that showcases students’ original primary source analysis and understanding of the relevant secondary literature. This task will allow students to develop their critical thinking, research and writing skills. 
• Students are required to respond to one of the essay questions provided.
• Students can only include primary works covered in the course.
• The reference list/bibliography is not included in the word count.
• This assignment is due at 11:55pm on Sunday 4 June.
• Please refer to Wattle for more details.

Assessment Task 5

Tutorial Presentation

Tutorial Presentation ?-10% (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

• The goal of this task is to encourage each student to develop presentation and critical thinking skills.
• Students will nominate when they would like to do their tutorial participation in Week 2.
• Students are required to give a 10-minute in class presentation on an aspect of the class materials for that week. Each presentation must end with a discussion question for the class.
• Graded presentations with feedback will be returned the week after submission. 
• Please refer to Wattle for more details.

Assessment Task 6

Participation

Participation - 10% (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

• Participation is an important part of the course and tutorial attendance will be recorded.
• Students are expected to actively engage in class discussion and activities. Expectations and standards for class participation will be discussed in Week 1.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 5 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students