1/11: Those who watched films will be meeting in film groups today to discuss the film, the plot, the characters and the thematic ideas. I’ll be checking for notes (up or down grade). THINK about what these films have to share with you about (as applicable) gender roles, about loss, hope, change and its impact on traditions, family and community, poverty, place. THINK, too, about how our study this semester deepened your understanding of aspects of the film and how the film helped you to think about some of what we studied.
Those who did not watch a film will be reading more stories* in class today to build on a cultural understanding of Japan. This is homework for tonight for those of you who meet in film groups in class). As you read, look for connections to our discussions about Japan and Japanese culture, to art, to Shintoism, to the introduction of the stories, to the stories you read earlier, and to the haiku. Mark up the stories. On the front of the notecard: highlight any questions or confusions you have about the stories AND make a list of connections between the stories, the haiku, etc. that help to flesh out an understanding of Japan and its culture. On the back of the notecard: Reflect on at least two of the stories from this packet that particularly strike you (as funny, as interesting, as important in terms of deepening your understanding of Japan, of its view of nature, of itself in the world, of family, of values, etc). Be specific, make connections, etc. Strive to fill both sides of the card.
* I messed up putting the packets together (sorry!) Ignore #184. I also know that I included #173 twice (but it’s a pretty great story…)
1/10: I’d like you to continue thinking about Japanese culture as it is reflected in their arts (build on the work we did yesterday and what you read last night). To do that, please read the excepted introduction to haiku. This introduction gives you some background into haiku as an art form and a window into the life and work of three of the most famous haiku poets in Japan (each from a different century). At the beginning of the introduction, Hass highlights a haiku from each poet and he returns to these throughout as a way to illustrate his points. Read carefully and make sure you understand his explanations of these poems.
Then, read through the haiku packet. I’d like you to choose 6 poems that particularly strike you (at least one from each poet). You can choose these for a variety of reasons –the image particularly strikes you, it helps you to better understand Japanese culture, it connects to the art, the stories, the discussion from yesterday, etc. For each (on a piece of notebook paper) copy down the poem and the poet, then write 3-4 sentences about WHY you chose it and how it advances your thinking. We will examine all of this AND the stories on Thursday. Tomorrow, students taking the class for honors credit will meet in film groups (bring your notes). Those taking the class for CPA credit will read some more stories and talk about these. Hang onto the notecards your completed for today. I will collect them tomorrow.
1/9: HOMEWORK: On the front of the notecard: take notes from the introduction to the Japanese stories. The purpose for reading the introduction is for you to gain understanding about Japanese culture, about the stories and about the role such stories play in the culture, so the notes should relate to purpose. On the back: react/reflect on the two stories (no. 8 and 67). These are mentioned by Royall Tyler in the first paragraph of the introduction, so use his ideas as a starting place. Back up his ideas about these two stories with evidence from the stories, tell me your own take on the stories, make connections to what we talked about in class, etc. Fill both sides of the notecard.