Japanese IV: Special Topics in Reading Japanese Literature in Japanese (310-0-20)
Topic
Writing Tokyo
Instructors
Thomas Martin Gaubatz
847/491-2766
1880 Campus Drive, Kresge Hall, Office 4-345
Office Hours: varies by quarter, please contact instructor
Meeting Info
Kresge Centennial Hall 2-335: Tues, Thurs 3:30PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
AY23-24 This is an advanced course in reading and translation of modern Japanese. Its goals are twofold: first, to cultivate advanced reading skills necessary to read authentic literary materials in Japanese, and second, to develop the technical skills and metalinguistic awareness necessary to produce effective English translations. Course readings focus on representations of the city of Tokyo from the early to mid-20th century in a range of prose genres; emphasis is on gaining facility in different literary styles and linguistic registers, and on developing techniques for parsing and translating texts that demand rich contextual knowledge. Primary readings are in Japanese with discussion and theoretical readings in English.
Registration Requirements
Students must have completed JAPANESE 211-3 with C- or above, or must be placed into the class by the departmental placement test.
Learning Objectives
Accurately parse and interpret authentic prose writing from the early to mid-20th century.
Use reference sources for self-learning and independent reading, both for linguistic understanding (grammar references and dictionaries) and historical context (encyclopedias, scholarly works, other research tools).
Analyze and compare different literary styles, linguistic registers, and expressive choices as a basis for literary translation.
Produce translations that reflect not only a literal understanding of linguistic meaning but an awareness of style, register, tone, theme, and other literary or stylistic concerns.
Describe conceptual problems surrounding the translation of cultural texts, and explain how specific translation strategies may address those problems.
Describe the social and cultural associations surrounding different neighborhoods of modern Tokyo.
Teaching Method
Lecture, discussion, workshopping of translations
Evaluation Method
Attendance, Preparation and Participation, Weekly Translations, Final Presentation, Final Translation Project
Class Materials (Required)
All materials will be provided digitally in PDF format.
Class Attributes
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area
Prerequisites apply, see description
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Prerequisite: Students must have passed Japanese 211-3 with at least a C- or be placed in according to placement test results.
Prerequisite: Students must have passed Japanese 211-3 with at least a C- or be placed in according to placement test results.