Module EAST2491: SAMURAI SOCIETY OF JAPAN

Department: EAST ASIAN STUDIES

EAST2491: SAMURAI SOCIETY OF JAPAN

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To provide a module filling the gap between the currently offered modules 'Japanese and Korean Origins' and 'Modern Japanese History'. This module is concerned with medieval Japan, providing a historical overview of the decentralisation of the early Japanese state and then the establishment of a feudal form of government. Students will understand the variety and composition of 'traditional' society for comparison with the modern, and the source of traditional values in Japanese society and the reason they take specific forms.

Content

• This module begins with history, examining medieval Japanese modes of governance in comparison with the European model of feudalism. It graduates into the tea and martial arts, examining samurai roots and how they now condition values in modern Japan and the world. Finally it takes up traditional theatrical forms, evaluating their social context of growth and what role they play in modern society.

Learning Outcomes

• .

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• .

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Practice essays and seminar presentations.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University