Anime Syllabus

							Spring
2008
 
      
    
          
      
       
      
      Jeremy
Robinson


M•W•F
12:20­3:25pm
(EFG)

          
      
       
      
      RobinsonJ@wlu.edu


Payne
21
     
     

   
          
      
       
      
      Tel
x5310


Office
hours:
by
appointment
       
      
       
      
      Office:
Red
House
Rm.
12






                 LIT
295B
•
Japanese
Animated
Film



Since
the
1990s,
Japanese
animation,
or
anime,
has
become
both
a
significant
domestic

cultural
phenomenon
and
one
of
Japan’s
most
influential
cultural
exports.

As
the
number

of
anime
fans
worldwide
continues
to
grow
in
both
number
and
enthusiasm,
anime

aesthetics
have
begun
to
have
a
significant
impact
on
Western
popular
culture.

This
course

examines
the
anime
phenomenon
with
a
focus
on
Japanese
animated
film,
from
the

beginnings
of
the
Japanese
animation
industry
and
the
emergence
of
anime
fandom,
to
the

wide
range
of
themes
explored
by
anime
today.

Through
frequent
film
screenings,
students

will
explore
the
major
genres
and
examine
the
unique
capacity
of
the
medium
for
social

criticism
and
exploration
of
serious
themes
that
can
exceed
that
of
more
mainstream
and

established
media.

The
class
is
scheduled
for
3‐hour
sessions
three
times
a
week
in
order
to
allow
time
for

screening
of
films.

Depending
on
the
day
and
the
length
of
the
film,
this
screening
may
take

place
at
the
beginning,
end,
or
even
middle
of
the
class,
with
most
of
the
class
devoted
to

discussion.

For
particularly
long
films,
the
allotted
time
may
not
be
sufficient
to
view
the

entire
film,
and
students
may
choose
to
either
stay
past
G
hour
in
order
to
watch
the

remainder
of
the
film,
or
find
time
to
view
the
remainder
of
the
film
on
their
own.

All
films

are
available
on
4‐hour
reserve
at
Leyburn
Library,
as
well
as
on
the
computers
in
the
TMC

for
this
purpose.

This
course
makes
extensive
use
of
the
university’s
Blackboard
online
learning


environment,
both
to
distribute
readings
and
as
a
forum
for
submitting
and
responding
to

reaction
papers.

Access
Blackboard
at
blackboard.wlu.edu,
and
login
using
your
W&L

Username
and
Password.

The
Blackboard
interface
is
fairly
straightforward,
but
if
you

have
no
experience
using
the
system
or
are
uncomfortable
with
computers,
let
me
know

immediately
so
we
can
help
you
get
started.

Becoming
experienced
with
using
Blackboard

is
vital
to
your
success
in
this
course.




Evaluation
will
be
on
the
basis
of
class
attendance
and
participation,
online
reaction


papers
and
responses,
and
a
final
project:




                Attendance
and
Participation

     
      
        25%


                Six
Online
Reaction
Papers



     6
x
5%





=

 30%


                Ten
Online
Responses

       
     10
x
2%


=

 20%


                Final
Project

 
     
      
     
      
        25%


                

Given
the
short
spring
semester
schedule
it
is
crucial,
both
to
your
grade
and
to
the

success

of
the
class,
that
you
keep
up
on
the
readings
and
come
to
class
every
day
ready

and

willing
to
discuss
them.

Attendance
is
taken
and,
because
active
participation
in
class

discussion
is
one
of
the
only
ways
I
have
to
check
whether
you
are
keeping
up
on
the

readings,
it
is
a
major
portion
of
your
grade.

Fully
half
of
your
grade
will
be
given
for

participation
in
the
online
discussion
board
forums
–
See
last
page
of
syllabus
for
specifics.


The
final
project
is
worth
25%
of
your
final
grade,
5%
of
which
is
for
an
initial
one‐page

proposal
(due
May
16th)
and
a
brief
presentation
on
your
project
on
the
last
day
of
class.


In
most
cases,
this
will
take
the
form
of
a
formal
research
paper
10‐15
pages
in
length,

although
other
less‐conventional
projects
will
also
be
accepted
provided
that
your
initial

proposal
is
approved
in
advance.

In
general,
the
paper
should
apply
what
we
have
learned

about
Japanese
animation
to
a
work
or
works
not
covered
in
class,
though
you
may
choose

to
examine
one
of
the
films
we
watched
provided
the
scope
of
the
project
goes
beyond

what
we
examined
in
class.

The
final
version
of
your
project
is
due
by
5pm
on
June
4th,
the

last
day
of
final
exams,
but
you
will
need
to
be
far
enough
advanced
with
your
project
to

make
a
5‐10
minute
presentation
on
it
on
the
last
day
of
class.

You
are
strongly

encouraged
to
get
an
early
start,
and
you
are
welcome
to
submit
a
draft
for
instructor

feedback
at
any
time.



There
are
four
required
texts
for
this
course:


        Susan
Napier
 
       
       
      Anime:
from
Akira
to
Howl’s
Moving
Castle

        Mark
W.
MacWilliams,
ed.
 
          Japanese
Visual
Culture
(JVC)

        Dani
Cavallaro
       
       
      Anime
Intersections

        Brian
Camp
&
Julie
Davis
 
          Anime
Classics
Zettai



All
are
available
at
the
bookstore
and
those
that
are
available
at
Leyburn
Library
have
been

placed
on
4‐hour
reserve,
along
with
the
DVDs
of
most
the
films
we
will
be
watching.

Also

on
reserve
at
Leyburn
are
the
following,
which
you
are
not
required
to
read
but
which
may

be
helpful
for
reference:




       Jonathan
Clements
and
Helen
McCarthy
 The
Anime
Encyclopedia


       Philip
Brody
 
       
       
      
       100
Anime



All
specific
required
readings,
both
those
from
our
texts
and
those
in
electronic
format,
are

listed
on
Blackboard
and
on
the
course
website:
http://home.wlu.edu/~robinsonj/Anime/.


In
general,
I
have
attempted
to
schedule
readings
on
general
themes,
etc.
prior
to
viewing

the
films
and
articles
on
specific
films
after
they
have
been
viewed.

Although
readings
from

Zettai
are
not
listed
on
the
schedule,
you
should
read
the
entry
for
each
film
we
view,
either

immediately
before
or
immediately
after
we
view
it
in
class,
depending
on
your
personal

preference.



                   Participation
in
Online
Discussion
Groups





Throughout
the
semester
you
will
be
required
to
post
weekly
reaction
papers
and

responses
to
the
Blackboard
online
discussion
board.

These
should
give
your
reaction
to

the
readings
before
discussing
them
in
class,
and
are
intended
to
act
as
a
starting
point
for

in‐class
discussion.

The
reaction
papers,
responses
and
in‐class
discussion
might
also

serve
as
inspiration
or
starting
point
for
your
final
project,
though
you
will
naturally
have

to
go
beyond
what
we
looked
at
as
a
class.





Six
Reaction
Papers
            (6
x
5%
=
30%
of
final
grade)
 

        One
per
week
           
      
       Due
midnight
the
night
before
class

        

A
reaction
paper
should
be
at
least
600
words
(about
two
pages)
long
and
should
articulate

your
reaction
to
that
day’s
readings
and
film.
It
does
not
need
to
be
a
formal
argumentative

essay,
but
it
should
be
more
substantive
than
mere
summary.

It
may
focus
on
any
aspect
of

the
readings
or
viewings,
but
should
reflect
that
you
have
completed
all
the
assigned

readings.

It
is
intended
to
give
your
interpretation
of
the
material
in
light
of
your
own

experience
and
the
issues
we
raise
in
class,
and
should
show
an
active
engagement
with
the

texts.

Remember:

you
aren’t
expected
to
be
an
expert
on
the
topic,
just
an
engaged
reader.


Creative
reading,
speculation
and
exploration
of
unfamiliar
ideas
are
welcome.

Reaction

papers
must
be
posted
online
by
midnight
the
night
before
the
class
in
which
the
readings

are
to
be
discussed,
in
order
to
give
your
fellow
students
time
to
read
them
before
class.


Late
reaction
papers
are
useless
to
fostering
online
discussion
and
thus
will
not
be

accepted.

It
is
part
of
your
required
reading
for
each
day
to
read
other
students’
reaction

papers
before
coming
to
class.





Ten
Responses
           
      (10
x
2%
=
20%
of
final
grade)


       At
least
one
per
week
         
       Due
any
time
prior
to
class



The
online
responses
are
less
formal
than
the
reaction
papers
and
should
respond
not
only

to
the
text
itself,
but
to
the
other
students’
reactions.

There
is
no
set
length
for
these

responses,
but
they
should
show
a
willingness
to
engage
with
both
the
texts
themselves

and
other
students’
readings
of
those
texts.

At
least
one
of
these
responses
is
required
per

week,
and
a
total
of
ten
must
be
completed
by
the
end
of
the
semester.

Because
these

online
discussions
are
intended
be
the
jumping
off
point
for
in‐class
discussion,
responses

must
be
posted
any
time
before
class.

In
other
words,
all
online
discussion
regarding
a

given
day’s
readings
must
occur
prior
to
being
discussed
in
class
for
it
to
receive
credit.




                           List
of
Film
Screenings

                                       



Week
One:


Anime
and
Anime
Culture



     4/23

 
       Clips
from
Yamato,
Gundam,
Evangelion,
Animatrix

     4/25
 
        Akira





Week
Two:


Nature



     4/28
 
        Nausicaä
of
the
Valley
of
the
Wind
(Kaze
no
Tani
no
Nausicaä)

     4/30
 
        Origin:

Spirits
of
the
Past
(Gin’iro
no
kami
no
Agito)


    5/2
 
         Princess
Mononoke
(Mononoke
Hime)





Week
Three:

Technology
                                     






  5/5
 
         Steamboy

     5/7
 
         Metropolis


    5/9
 
         Ghost
in
the
Shell
(Kôkaku
kidôtai)





Week
Four:

Identity




    5/12
 
        Ghost
in
the
Shell
II:

Innocence


    5/14
 
        Perfect
Blue


    5/16
 
        Paprika


    
       Note:
 Proposal
for
final
project
due





Week
Five:
Youth

     5/19
 
        Spirited
Away
(Sen
to
Chihiro
no
Kamikakushi)


    5/21
 
        Only
Yesterday
(Omoide
poroporo)


    5/23
 
        Tekkon
Kinkreet





Week
Six:

War




    5/26
 
        Momotarô’s
Divine
Sea
Warriors
(Momotarô
Umi
no
Shimpei)


    5/28
 
        Grave
of
the
Fireflies
(Hotaru
no
Haka)


    5/30
 
        Final
project
presentations