- BA Course

This course introduces the social scientific study of gender, sexuality, and family in Japan from the postwar to the contemporary period from a comparative perspective. For many people, Japan represents a sweeping stereotype of extreme gender norms vis-à-vis contemporary Euro-American gender norms and manifestations. Such stereotypes are employed not only by outsiders to critique the society ethnocentrically, but also by some natives as well. Both sides frequently comment on the ways gender and gendered expectations shape and even determine contemporary experiences of “being Japanese.” Furthermore, stereotypes about gender and sexuality in Japan frequently overlap with and draw from broader stereotypes about Japan vis-à-vis other Asian societies and Asian societies vis-à-vis Western societies. By identifying these stereotypes and also critically questioning what gender means and how it is being shaped in and shaping contemporary Japan, this course will offer an entry into theories of gender studies and sexuality, and also introduce tools to critically analyze cultural differences manifested in the issues of gender, sexuality, and family while at the same time learning more about Japanese society and your own society.