Postwar Japan in Film and Lit.
Postwar Japanese History in Film and Literature In this seminar we will study the history of postwar Japan (1945 to the present), focusing on how literature and film have engaged the defining historical and political questions of this period. The seminar is organized around specific themes, including: trauma and war memory, the Allied occupation, the cold war in East Asia, high economic growth in the 1960s, political protest, post-coloniality, and a resurgent nationalism. Students will learn postwar Japanese history while also considering the possibilities of pursuing historical analysis through translated literature and narrative film.
Professor Ward is an incredibly enthusiastic teacher. Sometimes he's unclear with his assignments and the material can sometimes get boring in class. But overall it was a super interesting class and the films that we watched were some of the most interesting films I've ever watched.