17.s21 Introduction to Japan	Objectives Organization and Requirements Suggested for Purchase Class Schedule Procedure for Case Studies and Web Page Presentations Case Studies Web Page Construction Additional Reading
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INTRODUCTION TO JAPAN
17.S21
Fall 2003

Mondays, 3:30 - 5:00
Room 3-133

Instructors:

Teaching Assistant: Pat Boyd email: jpboyd@mit.edu

Website: web.mit.edu/17.s21/www

OBJECTIVES

As its title suggests, “Introduction to Japan” (or “Raw Fish 101” as it is often called) is a basic introduction to Japanese history, politics, and culture for undergraduates. This subject is also required of graduate interns who will be placed in Japan under the auspices of the MIT Japan Program.

“Raw Fish” combines lectures, seminar discussion, small-team case studies, and web page construction exercises, all designed to shed light on contemporary Japan.

The subject is organized around four substantive topics: 1) Politics and History, 2)Economy and Technology, 3)Education and the Workplace , and 4) Community/Civil Society. Each topic is addressed in three separate class meetings. The first will be a lecture, with time for Q&A. The second will be a seminar discussion based upon carefully selected readings on the same topic and guided by students’ questions. After we have had four sets of lectures and seminars on the topics, we will have four sessions in which students will be responsible for two kinds of class room presentations: 1) a group presentation of the issues associated with a case study provided by the instructors, and 2) the presentation of a web page developed by a second group of students.

This course is, as advertised, merely an “introduction.” We hope that you will be stimulated to elect other subjects offered at MIT or elsewhere related to Japanese studies, consider selection of a concentration in Japanese studies, and/or travel to Japan for a closer look at this critically important, technologically advanced nation.

ORGANIZATION AND REQUIREMENTS

The class will meet weekly on Monday afternoons. One additional two-hour evening section to discuss the web page and case study assignments is added on 31 October. Also, a double session has been scheduled for 2 December in order to allow each group to make its final presentation. Pizza (and possibly sushi) will be provided both evenings.

There are six requirements for the course:

• Assigned readings
• Mandatory attendance at class
• Active class participation
• Two Discussion Questions integrating the lecture and seminar readings to be e-mailed to instructors before each seminar session.
• Case study presentations: The case studies require students to take and defend a point of view, based on what s/he has learned from lectures and seminar readings. By engaging the student in debate and critical thinking, we aim to enliven the key issues faced both by Japanese citizens and by students who encounter Japan.
• Web page construction: Groups of students will build and present to the class a web page that addresses the core concepts and information sources pertaining to that week’s topic.

There are no examinations in this course. There are no paper assignments. Grades are pass/fail.

SUGGESTED FOR PURCHASE

Gercik, Patricia, On Track With the Japanese, New York: Kodansha, 1992. (On reserve at the Dewey Library and available in paperback at the MIT Coop.)

Lincoln, Edward J. Arthritic Japan: The Slow Pace of Economic Reform. Washington, DC Brookings Institution, 2001.
Introduction to Japan: Class Notes may be purchased at Graphic Arts, E52-04 and are on reserve at the Dewey Library

Introduction to Japan: A Case Study Book will be distributed the first day of class

CLASS SCHEDULE

Gluck, Carol. “The Idea of Showa,” Daedalus, Summer, 1990. (In Class Notes)

Reed, Steven R, “Government-Business Cooperation,” Chapter Five in

Making Common Sense of Japan

. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1993. (In Class Notes)

Lincoln, Edward J. Arthritic Japan. Washington, DC, Brookings Institution, 2001
Chapter Three (Book on reserve at Dewey and at the Coop)

Samuels, Richard. "Rich Nation, Strong Army": National Security and the Technological
Transformation of Japan. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1994. Chapter Two. (Book on Reserve at Dewey)

Kerr, Alex. Dogs and Demons: Tales from the Dark Side of Japan. New York: Hill and Wang, 2001. Chapter 11. (In Class Notes)

Peak, Lois, “Behavior Expectations in the Family and in the Preschool,” Learning to Go to School in Japan, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991: 33-42. (In Class Notes)

Lewis, Catherine, “Fostering Social and Intellectual Development: The Roots of Japanese Educational Success,” pp. 75-97 (includes Section Introduction) in Thomas Rohlen and Gerald LeTendre, eds., Teaching and Learning in Japan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. (In Class Notes)

Schwartz, Frank. “Civil Society in Japan Reconsidered,” Japanese Journal of Political Science Vol. 3, No. 2, 2002. (In Class Notes)

Nakane, Chie, Japanese Society, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1970, Chapter One. (In Class Notes)

Curtis, Gerald. The Logic of Japanese Politics. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999. Chapters One and Six. (Book on Reserve at Dewey)

Lincoln, Edward J. Arthritic Japan. Washington, DC, Brookings Institution, 2001
Chapter Four (Book on reserve at Dewey and at the Coop)

Kathryn Ibata-Arens, “The Business of Survival: Small and Medium-Sized High-Tech Enterprises in Japan,” pp. 217-242 in Chalmers Johnson, ed. “Dysfunctional Japan: At Home and in the World” Special issue of Asian Perspective. Volume 24, Number 4, 2000.
(In Class Notes)

Lincoln, Edward J. Arthritic Japan. Washington, DC, Brookings Institution, 2001
Chapter Six (Book on reserve at Dewey and at the Coop)

Report of the Prime Minister’s Commission on Japan’s Goals in the 21st Century, January 2000 (In Course Binder on reserve at Dewey)

Hasegawa, Keitaro. Japanese-Style Management: An Insider’s Analysis. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1986. Chapter Two (People-Centered Management) and Chapter Three (Harmony, Consensus, and Decision-Making). (In Class Notes)

Kumazawa, Makoto Portraits of the Japanese Workplace. Chapter Eight (“Twenty Years of a Bank Worker’s Life”) and Chapter Nine (“Working Like Mad to Stay in Place”).
(In Course Binder on reserve at Dewey)

Greenfeld, Karl Taro. Speed Tribes: Days and Nights with Japan’s Next Generation. New York: Harper/Collins, 1994. Chapter Six (“The Best and the Brightest”) and Chapter Twelve “The Otaku”). (In Class Notes)

Gercik, Patricia, “Trust Me” and “Believe Me,” On Track with the Japanese, New York: Kodansha, 1992: pp. 37-174. ( Book ordered at Coop and on Reserve at Dewey)

Garon, Sheldon. Molding Japanese Minds The State in Everyday Life. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1997. Chapter One. (In Class Notes)

Lincoln, Edward J. Arthritic Japan. Washington, DC, Brookings Institution, 2001
Chapter Five (Book on reserve at Dewey and at the Coop)

Case Study Book: Leadership Case Study

Case Study Book: International Economy Case Study and Education Case Study

Case Study Book: International Economy Case Study and Education Case Study

Case Study Book: Community Case Study

PROCEDURE FOR CASE STUDIES AND WEB PAGE PRESENTATIONS

This course ends with four sessions divided equally between a case study exercise and presentation of a web page built expressly for the seminar. In order to make learning from the case studies and web pages effective (and hopefully fun), we will divide the class into four teams, one for each topic: 1) Politics and History, 2) Education and the Workplace, 3) Economy and Technology, and 4) Community. Each team will be responsible for one case and one web page during the semester.

Presentation Schedule

CASE STUDIES

In developing the team’s case study presentation, team members should meet to discuss and prepare a coordinated presentation in class for 10-15 minutes on their designated day. A discussion topic and exercise questions are appended to each case. Each team should select a captain who will coordinate a discussion on the case either in person or via email with his/her team members, summarize the discussion, and forward the results to TA Pat Boyd (email: jpboyd@mit.edu) no later than the Tuesday preceding the class. You should use your imagination and what you have learned from lectures and readings to come up with inventive solutions to the problems each case study presents. Other teams should come to class prepared to discuss the case. Make sure to check the guidelines for preparing case studies at web.mit.edu/17.s21/www/cases.html.

WEB PAGE CONSTRUCTION

The assigned group is responsible for meeting in person or electronically to discuss the contents and format of a web page related to their assigned topic. As with the case study presentations, a captain should be selected who will coordinate the page and present the concepts to Pat Boyd no later than the week before its demonstration in class. We will have set up a computer with projection capabilities for that session. Use as many of the resources of the Web as is possible, but go beyond the Web when necessary. The objective is to establish a site filled with useful information about a new institution or product for the intended target. For each topic the designated team will choose one of three suggested themes and construct a web site for presentation to the class.

The web pages must be compelling and must reflect the information that you have learned about Japan. Consider carefully what part of the Japanese or foreign population you are trying to reach and why. You should draw from your readings as well as other published material on Japan. Your web page should be a sophisticated reflection of careful study and understanding of the situation. The team leader should present with the help of one or two others.

Politics and History (pick one theme)

1. A web page promoting a new political party to Japanese voters that promises major structural reform.

2. A web page describing the Imperial Household to foreigners.

3. A web page for Japanese citizens describing a new government office to promote activities that would foster better Sino-Japanese relations.

Education/Workplace (pick one theme)

1. A web page aimed at Japanese parents to advertise a new private school focusing on a curriculum to promote creativity.

2. A web page appealing to potential employees that promotes a Japanese start-up software firm currently having difficulty recruiting from leading universities.

3. A web page for a work relocation service to help workers who have been “restructured.”

Community/Civil Society (pick one theme)

1. Advertisement on web page for a new community center with activities in a working class district with a large and diverse immigrant population.

2. A police department web page explaining their responsibilities and services to the community.

3. A web page for the National Association of Shinto Shrines to attract donations from the public.

Economy and Technology (pick one theme)

1. A web page for a keiretsu-affiliated electronics company seeking to introduce new telecommunications products to the Japanese market during the current recession.

2. A web page to promote a new R&D center for local firms established by a prefectural government.

3. A web page by a foreign financial services company to attract savings from Japanese middle class investors.

We hope that you will, as always, be as creative as possible. But do make sure you inform your creativity with an appreciation of contemporary Japan.

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Last modified: 26th June 2003