BASIC INFORMATION:

Tues.& Thurs, 6:30p.m.-7:50p.m.
Optional Wednesday, 4:30-5:50pm

Ruth Adams Building, Rm 207

Instructor: Christopher Gunson
TAs: David Mislan, Tamiko Yamamoto, Nathan Ilnicki

BASIC INFORMATION

The second semester of Japan-US Cultural Relations is an interactive cross-cultural experience. For five weeks before spring break, approximately a dozen students from Ritsumeikan University (Rits) will visit Rutgers and join us for class and other activities.

The class is 1.5 credits and meets for the first half of the semester. It is made up of two orientation meetings, ten classes, and several trips to Washington DC, Philadelphia, and New York City.

The ten classes will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30-7:50pm. On Tuesdays we will concentrate on less academic activities. On Thursdays we will have a more active discussion for which there will be required readings. More information is available in the right-hand column.

Grades will be based on a final project, attendance and participation.

NEWS
News on Japan
Yomiuri Shinbun
The Japan Times
Mainichi Shinbun
Asahi Shinbun
Asia Times
Yahoo! Asia News
Far Eastern Economic Review

BLOGS
Philosopher's Walk
Tokyo Times
Translator's Notes
Alive in Kyoto
Aranami
Donkey Mon
Dottokomu

Feb 3 (Thurs): Rutgers Orientaiton
Location: Global Studies Dept. 102 College Ave., Rear Annex Room, 6:30pm

Feb 6 (Sun), Rits-Rutgers Orientation
Please be at the Cook Campus Center, Room 202B & C at 6pm to great our guests from Ritsumeikan.

Feb 7 (Mon), Rits-Rutgers Orientation, Part 2
Nathan and Tamiko will assist the students in getting their IDs, seeing the campus. This orientation will start early in the morning, and any Rutgers students with time available to assist should contact myself or Tamiko and Nathan.

Feb 8 (Tues), Class #1
Please note that we are meeting in room 207 of the Ruth Adams Building.
Breaking the Ice -
In this first class we will get to know each other with games for breaking the ice and we will then watch "The Simpsons go to Washington DC."

Feb 10 (Thurs), RECEPTION at BUSCH
Instead of class, we will meet in the Busch Student Center for a reception with the Ritsumeikan students. Feel free to bring friends and roommates.

Feb 11-13 (Fri-Sun), Trip to Washington, D.C.
We will meet at 9am, location TBA, for our weekend in Washington.

Feb 15 (Tues), Class #2
Four More Years?! The 2004 Election
Reading: Why Japan Prefers Bush (3 pages); Four More Years? (ONLY READ pages 8-9 of the publication, which is page 6 of the document -- you should see what I mean when you look at the article).
This class will be a discussion about the recent US presidential election, President Bush and Prime Minister Koizumi, and what the future holds for Japan-US Relations

Feb 17 (Thurs), Class #3
Lost in Translation
We will watch the movie and compare the views of the film between the Ritsumeikan and Rutgers students.

February 18 (Fri): New York Trip
We will meet at 9am at the New Brunswick train station.

Feb 22 (Tues), Class #4
Trivia Games
Working in groups, we will have a competitive trivia session similar to the first class of the fall semester.

Feb 24 (Thurs), Class #5
Thinking About Morality: The Mignonette Lifeboat Case
Reading: Queen v. Dudley & Stephens (7 pages)
This class is modeled off the first lecture of a Criminal Law class at an American Law School. We will actively discuss morality, necessity, and the role of law in society.

February 26 (Sat), Philadelphia Trip
Details TBA

March 1 (Tues), Class #6
TBA

March 3 (Thurs), Class #7
Should the Atomic Bomb have been dropped?
Reading: If the Atomic Bomb Had Not Been Used published in 1946 (4 pages); Was It Right? published in 1995 (5 pages)
Probably the most controversial issue in the history of Japan-US relations, we will discuss the aforementioned question in detail.

March 8 (Tues), Class #8 UPDATED
Comparing Japanese and American Approaches to International Relations
Reading: Will Japan Re-Arm? (9 pages, but the font is huge); Assertive Japan (2 pages); The Future of Article 9 (11 pages)
Dave Mislan will teach the class, which will focus on the differences between how Japan and America approach the world.

March 10 (Thurs), Class #9
Subject TBA

I have not yet finalized the course content for the final class. Any suggestions are most welcome.