21G.039J | Fall 2015 | Undergraduate

Gender and Japanese Popular Culture

Course Description

This course examines relationships between identity and participation in Japanese popular culture as a way of understanding the changing character of media, capitalism, fan communities, and culture. It emphasizes contemporary popular culture and theories of gender, sexuality, race, and the workings of power and value …
This course examines relationships between identity and participation in Japanese popular culture as a way of understanding the changing character of media, capitalism, fan communities, and culture. It emphasizes contemporary popular culture and theories of gender, sexuality, race, and the workings of power and value in global culture industries. Topics include manga (comic books), hip-hop and other popular music, anime and feature films, video games, contemporary literature, and online communication. Students present analyses and develop a final project based on a particular aspect of gender and popular culture.
Learning Resource Types
Written Assignments with Examples
Presentation Assignments
A small, keen-featured man, clothed in a kimono, and wearing powder on his face and rouge on his lips, sits in a carriage.
“Onnagata in Central Park.” Onnagata are male actors who impersonate women in Japanese kabuki theatre. (Image courtesy of Bill Liao on flickr. License CC BY-NC-SA.)