1) Readers Who Are Different from You
We will learn about how to research and understand the history of readers through the case study of Japanese readers. It is useful to an understanding of a history of reading to compare readers and readers’ circumstances between different countries or in different time periods. It will also be necessary for us to think about the process of reading in more detail, dividing the act of reading into a series of processes and the factors influencing them.
2) Reading and the Education System
The history of reading is deeply connected with the foundation of the education system. The contents and distribution systems of school textbooks vary from country to country. We will learn how the modern education system programmed the readings in Japan. We can discuss and deepen our understanding of the relationship between education systems and the history of reading in different countries.
3) Readers in Literary Studies
Literary study is one of the significant resources for an enquiry into reading, and in fact the study of readers has played a key role in changing the methods of literary research. We will learn why the study of readers is so important.
4) The History of “Reading Spaces”
It is necessary for reading studies to investigate the histories of various locations where people go to read. Today the scope of such enquiries is gradually increasing, with studies dedicated to the histories of readings while on trains, in libraries, and in classrooms.
5) Distribution of Books and its Restrictions
There are various systems and regulations for distributing books to readers. Apparent or unconscious systems of censorship still exist in many countries. We will study the history of censorship in Japan and consider freedom of expression both in the past and in the present.
Teaching and evaluation methods, including the percentage of the overall grade assigned to each evaluation
Essays about the lectures 25%,
Attendance record 25%,
Cross-cultural Presentation 25%,
Asking questions and answering in class 25%
Edward Mack, Manufacturing modern Japanese literature, Durham, N.C., Duke University Press, 2010.
Ai Maeda, Text and the City, Durham, N.C., Duke University Press, 2004.
Jay Rubin, Injurious to public morals, Seattle, University of Washington Press, 1984.
Monica Braw, The Atomic Bomb Suppressed, Armonk, N.Y., M.E. Sharpe Inc., 1991.
