MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE LITERATURE

This is one of the characterising courses within the "Japan" curriculum of the Corso di Laurea Magistrale in"Lingue e Civiltà dell'Asia e dell'Africa Mediterranea".
The course contributes to the attainment of the teaching goals of the Corso di Laurea in the area of the humanities-related skills.
In particular, this course helps the student acquire:
- a high level of critical knowledge and understanding of various socio-cultural phenomena;
- the ability to handle competently and confidently sources and research tools related to the chosen area;
- a deeper knowledge of social realities, ways of thinking, and textual cultures of the chosen area;
- the ability to produce oral and written texts related to the field of literary studies;
- the ability to apply their knowledge to the field of literary studies

Knowledge and understanding:
- basic knowledge of the theories and methods of Futurism Studies;
- in-depth knowledge of Japanese historical and literary phonemena that can be apprehended through such theories and methods;

Applying knowledge and understanding:
- ability to apply the theoretical and methodological tools acquired in the first part of the course to single phenomena from the field of modern Japanese literature;
- ability to recognize the application of such tools in previous scholarship;
- ability to read and analyze texts from the first half of the 20th century.

Communication:
- to summarize and communicate in a formally correct and effective way, either orally or in writing, the gist of scholarly texts

Making judgements:
- to be able to examine the available sources and detect their points and presuppositions;

Lifelong learning skills:
- to be able to work autonomously and beforehand on assigned texts
- to perfect one's ability to work on texts written in English and Japanese

- A basic knowledge of the history of modern Japanese literature. The students who are willing to deepen their knowledge are invited to contact the teacher for further readings;
- Willingness to read materials beforeheand to take part to seminarial classes;
- Ability to read primary and secondary sources in modern Japanese.

It is desirable, but in no way compulsory, to possess a basic knowledge of literary Japanese ("bungo").

The students will be required to read some materials before a certain number lessons. These materials will not be necessarily part of the final exam, but the students should prepare them if they want to follow and understand the lessons more effectively and, especially, if they want to interact during classes. In-class interaction and participation will be evaluated.

Theme of the course: Futurism in Japan and Japanese Futurism (1909-1944)

With a specific focus on literature and intellectual history, we will cover the reception of Italian Futurism in Japan, as a specific historical and cultural phenomenon, as well as a case study within the wider reception of historical avant-gardes in Japan and the participation of Japanese intellectual communities to the networks of the international avant-garde.
A strong emphasis will be placed on historical and textual aspects. The students will acquire solid historical competences related to the cultural phenomena they will study, and will engage in the reading and analysis of a wide array of texts related to Futurism in Japan: primary sources in Italian and Japanese, Japanese texts from the press of the period, creative texts inspired by Futurism, archival sources, scholarly works from the field of Futurism Studies, etc.

The course will feature a number of lectures by invited scholars specializing in Futurism Studies.

Introduction to Futurism Studies:
selected chapters from "Handbook of International Futurism", edited by G. Berghaus, Berlin & Boston, De Gruyter, 2018.
selected chapters from "Futurism: A Microhistory", edited by S. Bru et alii, Cambridge, Legenda, 2017.
selected texts from F.T. Marinetti, "Teoria e invenzione futurista", Milano, Mondadori, 1983, or: Marinetti, Critical Writings, new edition, ed. G. Berghaus, trans. D. Thompson, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2006.

Futurism in Japan:
Nishino, Yoshiaki, "F. T. Marinetti and Japan the Futurist", in "Marinetti = Futurismo", Milano, Motta, 2009.
Omuka, Toshiharu, "Futurism in Japan, 1909-1920", in International Futurism in Arts and Literature, edited by G. Berghaus, Berlin & Boston, De Gruyter, 2000, pp. 244-270.
Zanotti, Pierantonio, "What is Miraiha? Academic Discourses on Japanese Futurism", International Yearbook of Futurism Studies, vol. 2, 2012, pp. 35-66.
Zanotti, Pierantonio, voce "Japan" in Handbook of International Futurism, Berlin & Boston, De Gruyter, 2018, pp. 628-647.

Further readings (both primary and secondary) will be provided at the beginning or during the course.

- in-class participation (25%)
- short essay on one of the lectures by an invited scholar (25%)
- short essay (individual or group) on a primary source chosen with the help of the teacher + oral exam that will focus on its presentation and the texts/case studies discussed in class (50%)
Indications on the requirements of the essays (e.g. length, style sheet, etc.) will be provided during the course.

Non-frequentanti:
- oral exam on the course reading list + additional readings

Lectures and seminars. Students' participation is encouraged. Assigned readings will be discussed in class.

Italian

This exam (with this syllabus) will be available only for the 4 "appelli" of the 2022-23 academic year. Starting from 2023-24, a new syllabus will be in use.

written and oral