JAP1501 - Japan's Politics and Society
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Course content
This course will provide an introduction to the politics and society of postwar and present day Japan. We will analyze which changes the end of the Cold War and the arrival of a new yet unstable world order have brought about on Japan’s domestic politics and international relations. We will also trace how Japan’s society is influenced by the various political and economic reforms and to what extent it has been able to overcome the crisis of the ‘lost decade’ of the 1990s.
Learning outcomes
This course will present a historic and thematic overview of the political and social developments in contemporary Japan. The first part of the course consists of a chronological analysis of Japanese politics and international relations since the country’s defeat in the Second World War. In the second part the focus will be on various facets of contemporary Japanese society, which may include education, women and gender issues, the imperial institution, nationalism, religion, the environment, the aging and shrinking population, the decay of the countryside, popular culture, and ethnic and social minorities. The course is conducted in the form of lectures. The students will be trained in using databases and the internet to find sources, and in writing an academic article.
Admission
Students at UiO must apply for courses in StudentWeb.
International applicants, if you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.
The examination in this course is not available for external candidates. Only students admitted to the course may sit for the examination.
Prerequisites
Recommended prior knowledge
The course requires good knowledge of English.
Teaching
Teaching is in the form of lectures. It is obligatory to attend at least 80 per cent of the classes. The number of students regrettably does not allow for presentations. However, active participation, in the form of questions and discussion on the basis of the class content and the texts prepared in advance, is required.
The course also requires the handing in of an obligatory qualifying assignment (= an outline of the essay, see "Exam information").
The qualifying assignment must be approved by the teacher in order to sit for the exam.
It is the student’s responsibility to obtain information as to whether or not the qualifying assignment is approved.
An approved qualifying assignment is only valid for ONE semester.
See Guidelines for obligatory instructional activity at HF
Teaching takes place throughout the semester.
Criteria for access to teaching resources
A student who has completed compulsory instruction, is not entitled to repeat that instruction. A student who has been admitted to the course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction, is entitled to repeat that instruction, contingent on available capacity.
Exam information
Students are required to write an essay (of 8-10 normal pages) on a topic chosen in cooperation with the teacher, closely connected to the content of the course.
The students have to hand in an outline of the essay they plan to write, including a list of sources, in order to be qualified for the essay exam. This obligatory assignment is graded 'pass' or 'fail', in the latter case implying that the student is not qualified to write the essay and thus has failed the course (see "Teaching" for more information).
The essay will be graded A-F.
The term paper is to be submitted in Fronter within a given deadline. Along with the term paper, the student must hand in an Obligatory statement regarding cheating.
Language of examination
English
Assessment and grading
Course grades are awarded on a descending scale using alphabetic grades from A to E for passes and F for fail. Read more about the grading system .
An external auditor regularly evaluates the academic quality of the course, including the form of exam used on the course.
Explanations and appeals
Students can request an explanation of their grades, and can also appeal against their grades or make a complaint about formal examination errors. Read more about explanations and appeals
Possibility of make-up exams and re-takes
You can usually resit an exam, but the conditions depend on whether you had a valid reason for absence from the regular exam. Read more about resitting an exam .
Withdrawing from exams and limits on re-takes
A student can sit for this exam up to 3 times. If a student wishes to withdraw from the exam, s/he must do this in StudentWeb at least two weeks prior to the first day of the exam. Failure to do so will be counted as one of the three opportunities to sit for the exam.
Exam options for students with special needs
Students may apply for access to alternative exam resources or exam forms on the basis of chronic illness and/or special needs that create a marked disadvantage to other students in the exam situation. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.
Evaluation of this course
Feedback from our students is essential to us in our efforts to ensure and further improve the high quality of our programmes and courses. As a student at the University of Oslo you will therefore be asked to participate in various types of evaluation of our courses, facilities and services. All courses are subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students on a particular course to participate in a more comprehensive, in-depth evaluation of this course, a so called "periodic evaluation".
Contact us
Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages
Visiting address:
P.A. Munchs hus level 4
Visiting hours:
Mon-Fri: 12:30 - 15:00
Postal address:
PO Box 1010 Blindern
N-0315 Oslo
Fax: 22 85 48 28
E-mail: henvendelser@ikos.uio.no
Web: http://www.hf.uio.no/ikos/