Japanese Culture Class Offered At Washington University

Washington University offers a wide array of summer courses for young and old alike.

Probably no course is more unusual than July's "Cool Japan + Hot St. Louis", designed and taught by Christopher Born, Kazue Harada and David Holloway.

The course introduces students to the historical contexts and social implications behind contemporary culture in modern-day Japan. Students don’t have to speak a word of Japanese to take the three-credit course.

“We’re not teaching ancient sword fighting,” said Born, adjunct professor at Washington University and the University of Missouri, St. Louis.

Rather, the emphasis on this course will be on magna (comics), anime (animation) and literature. Other course topics will be fashion, film and music. Coursework focuses on contemporary popular culture in Japan.

The course is offered in the fourth summer session, July 18-August 18. It is open to high school juniors or seniors and college students or learners of any age.

Coursework will be in Busch Hall 11:00 a.m.-12:45 p.m. daily.

“'Cool Japan' is the buzz word these days for unique Japanese culture, and it's hot in St. Louis, therefore that’s why we call this course ‘Cool Japan + Hot St. Louis,” Born said.

Professor Harada is working on her dissertation in Japanese studies. Holloway is a graduate of Washington University, now teaching contemporary literature to students there.

Born’s association with Japanese culture has an interesting twist. He grew up in New York City, assimilating with many folks with Asian backgrounds. He was involved in Asian studies while working on his master's and doctorate coursework at Princeton University.

High school students interested in enrollment information should contact Becky Zurovec at 314-935-4807 or by email at zurovec@artsci.wustl.edu. College students and adult learners should contact the summer school office at 314-935-6700. or www.ucollege.wustl.edu/summer/registration.

The regular tuition is $2,715, but will be slightly less for high schools students.