Course Number-JAPN 410
Title-Quakes and Nukes: (Un)Natural Japanese Environments
Course Description
Japan is richly diverse, from the tundra-like north to the subtropical south. Its islands are shaped by earthquakes, volcanoes, and man-made ecologies. We study the Japanese archipelago from multiple scientific and humanistic perspectives, including material from scientific journals, films, history, anthropology, and Japanese comics. We cover the basics of Japanese geology, Pacific seismology (the ¿Ring of Fire¿), the causes and effects of nuclear radiation, and the changes to the land.
Meets MLO 4
Course Description
Japan is richly diverse, from the tundra-like north to the subtropical south. Its islands are shaped by earthquakes, volcanoes, and man-made ecologies. We study the Japanese archipelago from multiple scientific and humanistic perspectives, including material from scientific journals, films, history, anthropology, and Japanese comics. We cover the basics of Japanese geology, Pacific seismology (the ¿Ring of Fire¿), the causes and effects of nuclear radiation, and the changes to the land.
Meets MLO 4
Course Reflection Narrative
A way for students/ me to define cultural concepts and apply their knowledge to contrast Spanish civilizations with another secondary culture. In a culture that is highly known for its cultural diversity and linguistics, it is important to be aware of other cultures as I was when I learned about the social and economic problems in Japan. I learned a lot when I completed JAPN 410(Quakes and Nukes: (Un)Natural Japanese Environments) and for me personally, this is the first course I have taken that does not relate to the cultures of America and Latin countries. Before completing this course I did not have much knowledge about life in Japan besides their role during WW2 and how popular anime is here in America. After taking this class I became more aware of the environmental impact natural and unnatural disasters had on Japan’s environment. One interesting topic that I learned that I did not know before taking the course was that America used Japan’s waters and grounds as testing sites for their nukes because of this it has had a huge impact due to all the radiation. This is interesting to me because I did not know America used Japan as a testing site. I always believed they tested them in America. During the course, we read articles pertaining to events we were covering during the week and one article that we read by Robert Jacobs that talks about the nuke testing in the Pacific. We also had discussions due by the end of the week to write about what we got from the articles and respond to questions we were given. This course helped me better understand the cultural aspects of another country and it also opened my eyes to the tragedies that were happening in the country from it being natural and unnatural. Even after completing the course, there are some concepts I am not very informed on what is being done to help the country and what is not being done. I feel like a way that can help me with my problems is to do more investigation about Japan because I feel it is a great country with many wonderful elements.