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MASAFUMI MONDEN
Email: masafumi.monden@sydney.edu.au
Languages: English (fluent, since 1996) Japanese (native) French (basic)
Japanese Nationality Australian Permanent Resident
Websites: https://sydney.academia.edu/MasafumiMonden
https://www.linkedin.com/in/masafumi-monden-82094141
EDUCATION
DATE DEGREE INSTITUTION
2012 PhD. University of Technology Sydney
Australia Postgraduate Awards (APA) Scholarship
2005 M.A. (Communication, Media & Culture) University of Western Sydney
[With Distinction]
2004 B.A. (Public Communication) University of Western Sydney
(History, Philosophy & Politics sub-major)
TITLE OF DOCTORAL DISSERTATION: Refashioning the Romantics: Contemporary Japanese Culture –Aspects
of Dress. Awarded March 20, 2012.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Communication; building collaborative relationships; teamwork; analytical thinking; cultural
sensitivity
FELLOWSHIPS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
2017 The National Library of Australia, Fellowship in Japan Studies 2017 awarded for 12 weeks
with stipend.
The project title: ‘The Changing Scape of Shōjo: Examining Girlhood, Aesthetics and Self-
hood in Japanese Popular Culture’.
2016-17 The Japan Foundation Japanese Studies Fellowship 2016-17 awarded for 8 months with
monthly stipend, beginning in July 2016.
The project title: ‘Fashion, Body and Male Identity in Contemporary Japan: A Cultural
Investigation’.
2016-17 International Researcher with Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, The
University of Tokyo, affiliated as part of the Japan Foundation’s Japanese Studies Fellowship.
2016-19 Honorary Research Associate, Department of Japanese Studies, The University of Sydney
2015 The National Library of Australia, shortlisted for Japan Studies Fellowships 2016 (4 months).
The proposed project title: ‘The Shōnen-scape: Examining a Liminal Boyhood in Japanese
Popular Culture’
2013 - 16 Honorary Research Associate with the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building,
University of Technology Sydney
2012 - 13 Honorary Research Associate with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of
Technology Sydney

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PUBLICATIONS
Books
2015 Japanese Fashion Cultures: Gender and Dress in Contemporary Japan.
London and New York: Bloomsbury Academic. 216 pp. ISBN: 9781472536211. Published
in the series ‘Dress, Body, Culture’ (Series Editor, Regents Professor Emerita Joanne B. Eichter)
Scholarly Book Chapters
2016 ‘Clean-Cut: Men’s Fashion Magazines, Male Aesthetic Ideals, and Social Affinity in Japan’ in
A. Freedman and T. Slade (eds.), Introducing Japanese Popular Culture, Routledge (in press,
to be published on 30th
September, ISBN: 978-1-13-885208-2).
2014 ‘In Praise of Sheer Perfection: Ballet, Clothing and Japanese Culture’ in V. Steele (ed), Dance
and Fashion. New Haven: Yale University Press, pp. 309-351.
2013 ‘The Nationality of Lolita Fashion’ in F. Nakamura, O. Krischer, and M. Perkin (eds) Asia
through Art and Anthropology: Cultural Translation Across Borders. London and New York:
Bloomsbury, pp. 165-178. The winner of Anthology Prize, The Art Association of Australia
and New Zealand (AAANZ), 2014.
2012 ‘Blood and Japanese Girl Culture’ in M. Jones and S. Boccalate (eds) Trunk Volume Two:
Blood, Surry Hills, NSW: Boccalatt Pty Ltd pp. 353-4
2012 ‘Ivy in Japan: A Regalia of Non-conformist and Privilege’ in P. Mears (ed), Ivy Style: Radical
Conformists, New Haven: Yale University Press pp. 174-185.
2012 ‘Japanese Men’s Fashion Magazines’ in J. Eicher (ed) Berg Encyclopaedia of World Dress and
Fashion, online available at [http://dx.doi.org/10.2752/BEWDF/EDch6511]. An original
research chapter of 5,000 words.
Fully Refereed Journal Articles
2015 ‘Hoshi no hitomi ni utsuru alternative (星の瞳に映るオルタナティブ Alternativeness that is
reflected on Starry Eyes: Focusing on the negotiation between mainstream and alternative
qualities in mainstream shōjo manga)’ Global Manga Studies (国際マンガ研究) vol. 5
(written in Japanese), pp. 149-75. Co-authored with Dr Lucy Fraser, The University of
Queensland. My author contribution: 60%.
2014 ‘Layers of the Ethereal: a Cultural Investigation of Beauty, Girlhood and Ballet in Japanese
Shōjo Manga’ Fashion Theory, Vol. 18, Issue 3, pp. 251-296 (ERA Rank A*).
2014 ‘Being Alice in Japan: Performing a Cute, “Girlish” Revolt’ Japan Forum Special Issue, Vol.
26, Issue 2, pp. 265-285 (ERA Rank A).
2013 ‘Contemplating in a Dream-Like Room: Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides and the
Aesthetic Imagination of Girlhood’ Film, Fashion and Consumption. Vol 2, Issue 2, pp.138-
157.
2012 ‘The Importance of Looking Pleasant: Reading Japanese Men’s Fashion Magazines’ Fashion
Theory, Vol 16, Issue 3, pp. 297-316 (ERA Rank A*).
2010 ‘ “Le Steele Gothique”: Extended Review: Gothic Dark Glamour Valerie Steele’ Fashion
Theory, Vol. 14, Issue 4, pp. 511-524 (ERA Rank A*). Co-authored with Professor Peter
McNeil, University of Technology Sydney.
2008 ‘Transcultural Flow of Demure Aesthetics: Examining Cultural Globalization through Gothic
& Lolita Fashion’ New Voices (publisher: The Japan Foundation, Sydney and Gotham), 2, pp.
21-40. ISSN: 1833-5233.
Online Essays
2015 ‘Shōjo Manga Research: The Legacy of Women Critics and Their Gender Based Approach’
Comic Forum, March 10. Series Editor, Professor Jaqueline Berndt. A fully referenced, original
research paper of 3,000 words. Available at http://comicsforum.org/2015/03/10/shojo-manga-
research-the-legacy-of-women-critics-and-their-gender-based-approach-by-masafumi-
monden/

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Extended Reviews
2012 ‘Book Review: Representations of Hair in Victorian Literature and Culture’ Fashion Theory,
Vol 16, Issue 2, pp. 259-264 (ERA Rank A*).
Works Translated in Languages other than English
2016 ‘Размышления в комнате грез: «Девственницы-самоубийцы» и эстетика девичества (Full
Russian translation of Contemplating in a Dream-Like Room)’ Теория моды. Одежда. Тело.
Культура, Vol 39, Spring issue, pp. 88-111.
2015 ‘Слои утонченного: культурное исследование красоты, девичьего мира и балета в
японской сёдзё-манге’ (Full Russian translation of ‘Layers of the Ethereal’). Теория моды.
Одежда. Тело. Культура, Vol. 35, pp. 154-188.
2013 ‘Как важно быть привлекательным: японские журналы мод для мужчин’ (Full Russian
translation of ‘The Importance of Looking Pleasant’). Теория моды. Одежда. Тело.
Культура, Vol 28, Summer, pp. 35-57.
Submitted Research Works
- ‘Shōjo, Fashion and Empowerment’ in J. Berndt, K. Nagaike, and F. Ogi (eds.), Shōjo Across
Media: Multidisciplinary Approaches, University Press of Kentucky. Invited book chapter of
8,000 words. Submitted for editors, 16 May 2016.
- ‘Ice Princess of Diligence: Graceful Stoicism and Volition of Asada Mao’ in L. Miller and R.
Copeland (eds.), Diva Nation: Female Icons from Japanese Cultural History. Invited book
chapter of 10,000 words. Submitted for editors, 12 January 2016.
- ‘Rei Kawakubo and Romantic Transgression’ in Rex Butler (ed.), Rei Kawakubo: For And
Against Fashion, Edition 3. Invited book chapter of 6,000 words. Submitted for editors, 19
January 2016.
- ‘Yurukawaii Style and Kiritani Mirei’ in Jason G. Karlin, Patrick W. Galbraith, and Shunsuke
Nozawa (eds.), Media Keywords: Japan and Beyond. Invited book chapter of 3,500 words.
Submitted for editors, February 1, 2016.
- ‘The Maiden Switch: New Possibilities for Understanding Japanese Shōjo Manga (Girls’
Comics). Co-authored with Dr Lucy Fraser, The University of Queensland. Submitted to Asian
Studies Review as of July 21, 2016.
Working Research Publications
- ‘Graceful and Masculine: Ballet in Contemporary Japanese Boys’ Culture’ fully researched
working paper of 6,000 words. Expected completion in May 2016.
- ‘An Enchanted Garden of Liminality: Locating a Shōjo-scape in Flowers in the attic’ fully
researched, working paper aimed for a peer-reviewed journal. 3,000 words completed.
SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES
Invited Seminar and Conference Presentations
2014 October 24, ‘In Praise of Sheer Perfection: Ballet, Clothing and Japanese Culture’, invited to
present at Dance and Fashion Symposium at The Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology,
New York
2012 November 9, ‘Ivy in Japan’, invited to present at Ivy Style Symposium at The Museum at
Fashion Institute of Technology, New York
2011 April 20, ‘Layers of the Ethereal: Romantic Ballet and Japanese Girls’ Culture’, Transforming
Culture Research Centre Seminar Series at UTS
2010 November 5, ‘The Importance of Looking Pleasant: Reading Japanese Men’s Fashion
Magazines’, invited to present at Japan Fashion Now Symposium at The Museum at Fashion
Institute of Technology, New York

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2010 September 8, ‘Floating in the State of Sweet and the Vivid: Representations of Youthful
Femininity in Japanese Literature and Other Texts’, Writing & Society Research Seminar at
the University of Western Sydney
Academic Conference, Lectures and Seminar Presentations
2015 July 2, ‘An Enchanted Garden of Liminality: Locating a Shōjo-scape in Flowers in the attic’,
Japanese Studies Association of Australia (JSAA) biennial conference, La Trobe University,
Australia (presented as part of the panel ‘Hearts and Flowers Abroad: Shōjo Beyond Japan’).
2014 November 2, ‘Valiant and Beautiful: Rethinking gender and aesthetics in shōjo manga’, the
Manga Futures Conference, The International Manga Research Centre at Kyoto Seika
University and The University of Wollongong, Australia
2013 February 12, ‘Linking the Past and Present: A Research Journey of Early Career Researcher’,
The Design, History, Material Culture Workshop, The School of Design, University of
Technology Sydney, Australia.
2012 July 12, ‘Floating in a Dreamlike Room: The Virgin Suicides and Sofia Coppola’s Visuality’,
(part of the panel ‘Art in Tension with Networks’) The Art Association of Australia and New
Zealand Annual Conference at University of Sydney
2012 March 17, ‘Being Alice in Japan: Negotiating Cuteness and Autonomy’, The Association for
Asian Studies Conference, Toronto (presented in absentia)
2011 March 31, ‘A Gentle Kind of Revolt: Cute (Kawaii) Fashion and Japanese Music-video
Appropriations of Alice’, presented at Joint Conference of the Association for Asian Studies
(AAS) & International Convention of Asian Scholars (ICAS), Honolulu
2010 September 20, ‘Variations of Aesthetic Sensitivity: Transcultural Flows and Fashionability in
Japanese Men’s Fashion Magazines’, presented at Next Generation of Cultural Research
Conference at The University of Western Sydney
2010 April 15, ‘Delicate Interlaced Flows: Examining Cultural Globalization through Japanese
Lolita Fashion’, presented at In the Image of Asia: Moving Across and Between Locations
Conference at The Australian National University
2009 November 27, ‘Lace Dress of Liberty: (Re)appraising Decorative Femininity through
Kamikaze Girls’, presented at The Art Association of Australia and New Zealand Annual
Conference at The Australian National University
2009 November 20, ‘In Praise of Delicate Autonomy: Kamikaze Girls and Representations of
Gender Fluidity’, presented at (Re)Figuring Sex: Somatechnical (Re)visions Conference at
Macquarie University
2008 September 12, ‘Sweet Valor: A Textual Observation of Kamikaze Girls’, presented at The 10th
Annual Postgraduate Research Students’ Conference at UTS
Teaching Career
2012 – 2016 Lecturer, Coordinator and Tutor, Bachelor of Design and Master of Design Programs,
Whitehouse Institute of Design Sydney
Key achievements included: Teaching a class of Master of Design students various theories,
methodologies and research practices in professional and academic contexts, including
correct referencing, primary and secondary, qualitative and quantitative, visual, empirical
and literature research techniques for the duration of 13 weeks (Research Workshop RW 7,
Fall Semester 2014 – 2016).
Introducing 3rd
year Bachelor of Design students to conduct and present academic research
(Writing for Design DI 5, Fall semester 2012-15). Through advising them on appropriate
research topics, teaching fundamental skills and knowledge required for research (e.g.
abstract, literature search and review, research methodologies, analysis of case studies, and
correct referencing) and editing and evaluating their project, students are expected to present
their research outcome in the form of 5,000-word mini dissertation. This course is followed
by Illustration for Design (DI 6, Spring semester 2012-15), in which I direct 3rd
year students
how to engage in an advanced level of research that closely tied to their final, graduate
project. By developing research and analytical skills that they acquired in DI 5, I have been

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responsible for leading students to conduct an academic research project that would explore
cultural and social significance of their graduate design project, and to produce their research
outcomes as a fully-referenced 4,000-word essay, in the form of an exhibition catalogue book
that would accompany their graduate show as well as a 1,000-word critical reflection. The
class size: approximately 15 students x 4 classes per semester.
2014 – 2015 Assistant Teacher, NSW Japanese School, a Saturday School accredited as a community
language school by the Australian Government (6 semesters)
Key achievements included: assisting a principle class teacher in leading and managing
Japanese schoolchildren living in Sydney Australia to learn Japanese language and culture
(e.g. folklores, crafts and origami, popular culture, songs), as well as to develop their
language skills through direct and interactive methods.
2012 Tutor, Fashion, Gender and Identity, Faculty of Design, Architecture & Building, University
of Technology Sydney (Fall semester), Bachelor of Design in Fashion Studies 2nd
year subject
Key achievements included: For the duration of 13 weeks, I was responsible for leading a
class of 20 into critical thinking and reasoning through engaging them in discussions about
the relationship between fashion, gender, body and identity. The topics of discussion
included youth and subculture, dress and feminism, new fashion media, representation of
identity, masculinity and fashion, and Orientalism. Assessments included a research essay
and design projects.
Guest Lectures: Guest Lectures: University of Technology Sydney
2014 ‘The Dressed Bodies’ lecture for Social Bodies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
2010 ‘Japanese Fashion Magazines’ lecture for Design Differences: Intercultural Asia, Faculty of
Design, Architecture and Building
2010 ‘Contemporary Japanese Men’s Fashion Cultures’ lecture for Men’s Collection, Faculty of
Design, Architecture and Building
*Details of the courses prepared to teach are provided in the additional information section
of this CV .
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
Research Career
2014 – present Research Assistant for Prof. Peter McNeil (periodically) with his manuscripts for Oxford
University Press (2016), Bloomsbury Academic (2016), and Yale University Press (2016)
Key achievements included: sourcing images, bibliographic research such as assisting
literature review by researching and collecting visual and academic articles, styling,
referencing and proofreading.
2014 - 15 Research/Admin Assistant for the International Research Centre for Communication in
Healthcare, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology Sydney
Key achievements included: organizing skype meetings and teleconferencing, Research
Centre’s budget planning, assisting staff travels, composing official correspondence, sorting
and distributing incoming mail, screening and responding to incoming telephone calls and
emails to Research staff.
2014 Research Assistant for Prof. Jim Macnamara and A/Prof. Roger Dunston’s project Improving
Breast Screening Rates for Indian and Sri Lankan Women in NSW. The Multicultural Health
Communication Service (MHCS) of the NSW Department of Health in partnership with the
NSW Refugee Health Service and with UTS - FASS as academic partner, funded by the
Evidence to Practice Grants of the Cancer Institute NSW.
Key achievements included: bibliographic research and generating an extended literature
review (11,000 words) on the specific topic of immigrant women, health, gender, culture and
the new and old media campaigns.
2012 - 13 Research Assistant for Prof. Peter McNeil with his HERA (Humanities in the European
Research Area) funded, one-million Euro project Fashioning the Early Modern (UK)

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Key achievements included: sourcing images, bibliographic research such as assisting
literature review by researching and collecting visual and academic articles, and liaising and
corresponding with international collaborators, museum curators and art specialists.
2012 Research Assistant for Prof. Peter McNeil with his project Dressing Sydney: The Jewish
Fashion Story in collaboration with and funded by the Sydney Jewish Museum.
Key achievements included: referencing assistance, proofreading and typing of the exhibition
catalogue, and liaising with external stakeholders including the Sydney Jewish Museum
director and curators.
2010 - 12 Research Assistant for Prof. Mark McLelland with his ARC project Love, Sex and Democracy
in Japan during the American Occupation, University of Wollongong
Key achievements included: Translation of old newspaper articles (Japanese to English),
bibliographic research and literature summaries.
2009 - 10 Research Assistant for Prof. Peter McNeil with the project Mapping Memory and History in
UTS Environs: Connecting Fashion Products and Worker’s Lives in the Industrial Heritage of
Sydney, University of Technology Sydney
Key achievements included: general admin duties, bibliographic research such as assisting
literature review by researching and collecting visual and academic articles, document
transcribing, and language translation (French to English).
2009 Research Assistant for Dr Meredith Jones with her project Transformations in Travel:
Australians and Cosmetic Surgery Tourism, University of Technology Sydney
Key achievements included: Organizing and transcribing interviews (local and international),
assisting literature review, and bibliographic research.
Scholarly Services
Blind Reviewer: Bloomsbury Academic (2013, 2014, 2015), Japanese Studies (Taylor & Francis, 2015, 2016),
Asian Anthropology (Taylor & Francis, 2015), M/C Journal (QUT Creative Industries, 2015),
New Voices (Japan Foundation, 2015), Fashion Theory (Bloomsbury, 2014, 2015), East Asian
Journal of Popular Culture (EAJPC, intellect, 2014)
Fields of Research Interest
Media and Cultural Studies/ Japan
Fashion and Dress Studies
Youth Culture, Body and Self-hood
Construction and Cultural Conception of “Girlhood” and “Boyhood”
Gender and Conceptualization and Depiction of “Emerging Adulthood” in Popular Culture
Social Media, Body Politics and the Working of Visuality
Intercultural Interaction and Communication
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Administrative Career
2012 - 13 Acting Executive Assistant to the Head of School, Design UTS (5 weeks in total)
2012 - 14 Secretariat Assistant, School of Design, University of Technology Sydney
Key achievements included: receptionist duties, planning and implementing school events,
closely working with and assisting the Executive Assistant/Project Officer to the Head of
School, filing, photocopying, processing invoices and expenses online, processing casual staff
contracts, helping school budget planning, assisting staff travels, greeting international visiting
scholars.
Other Careers
2015 - present Freelance Interpreter (English to Japanese and Japanese to English)
Key achievements included: serving as an interpreter for Japanese professor Yoko Takagi
(Bunka Gakuen University) and a group of Japanese designers with their visit to the School of
Design, University of Technology Sydney as part of ‘Feel & Think: A New Era of Tokyo

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Fashion’ exhibition by Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation and National Art School
Gallery (June 2013). Other interpreting services included in wedding, the Immigration
Department, legal, police and medical consultations.
2011 - present Freelance Translator (English to Japanese and Japanese to English)
Key achievements included: translating PowerPoint and handout for A/Prof. Douglas Tomkin
with his ‘Crime and Design’ conference presentation, UTS (2011) and documents (Japanese
to English) for an academic staff at the School of Design, UTS for her study trip to Japan
(2015).
2010 Conference Co-ordinator for Tale of Two Cities: Production and Consumption in the Sydney
Clothing trades c1900-1990 Symposium, UTS
Key achievements included: conference organization, responding to questions and requests,
supplying general information to delegates, catering and hospitality.
2009 Organizing Committee Member for Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Post-Graduate
Student Research Conference 2009
Key Achievements included: liaised with presenters, proofread the program, gave the
welcoming speech for Prof. Theo van Leeuwen, Dean of FASS and the keynote speaker, and
coordinating the volunteers.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Interests
Classical ballet, piano, movies (arthouse, teen and Japanese films), meeting friends, travel
(New York, Honolulu, Melbourne, Canberra, Tokyo, Sendai), reading (Japanese modern
literature; American; Russian; English)
Awards and Research Grants
2014 Publication Subsidies, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology
Sydney. Affiliated to Japanese Fashion Cultures
2013 Publication Subsidies, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology
Sydney. Affiliated to ‘Being Alice in Japan’, ‘Layers of the Ethereal’, and ‘In Praise of Sheer
Perfection’
2012 Conference Support Fund, The Art Association of Australia and New Zealand. Affiliated to
The Art Association of Australia and New Zealand Annual Conference at University of
Sydney (12-14 July)
2010 Vice-Chancellor’s Postgraduate Research Student Conference Fund, University of
Technology Sydney. Affiliated to Japan Fashion Now Symposium, New York (4-5, November)
2008 Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences 2008 Communication Research Students Fund,
University of Technology Sydney
2004 - 5 Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Dean’s Merit List, University of Western Sydney (placed
in the top 10% of the cohort)
Memberships
Japanese Studies Association of Australia
Art Association of Australia and New Zealand
Charity/Not for Profit Work
2009 Volunteer for The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Australia
Duties included: assisting the annual fundraising lunch and awareness campaigns.
2008 Volunteer at The 4RS International Conference, convened by the Faculty of Arts and Social
Sciences, University of Technology Sydney (30 September to 3 October).
Duties included: Greeting and directing national and international delegates, managing the
registration desk, chairing sessions.

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IT Skills
Intermediate (MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Adobe Photoshop, internet/email)
Service to the Wider Community Outside of the Academy
2016 Media Appearance, Interview and Adviser, article on Japanese fashion by Libby Coleman,
OZY Magazine (forthcoming)
2016 Media Appearance, Adviser, ‘Japanese Masculinity’ for global masculinity project, Protein
(www.protein.in)
2016 Media Appearance, Interview and Adviser, ‘Japan's "Genderless Kei" Trend Is About So
Much More Than Just Fashion’, by Ellen Freeman, Refinery 29, June 22
(http://www.refinery29.com/2016/06/113884/japanese-fashion-kei-agender)
2015 Research Adviser, Rachel Hunter’s Tour of Beauty Episode 10 –Japan (October 28),
Television New Zealand (TVNZ).
2010 Media Appearance, Tokyo Fashion Express, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) World
(interviewed November 5).
Selected Courses Prepared to Teach
Visualizing Japanese Culture and Society
This introductory course examines contemporary Japanese visual culture from historical,
social and theoretical perspectives, introducing students to the historical contexts and social
implications behind contemporary popular culture in Japan. It will explore a wide variety of
cultural texts of everyday life, ranging from manga (comics), anime (animation) to literature,
film, TV programs and music. Of particular concern will be the socio-cultural foundations for
these texts, the way they have been intertwined with the concepts of gender and identity, and
how they have moved beyond Japan to influence global movements. Students are
encouraged to reflect their learning processes through a combination of creative and
theoretical tasks, including the creation of their own manga and an accompanying,
theoretical exegesis.
Kimono to Cosplay: Body, Clothing and Identity in Modern Japan
From the ‘salarymen’ and the uniform-clad student to youth adorned in vivid, flamboyant
fashion styles, fashion and clothing have been a significant part of Japanese culture. Clothing
is also the material closest to the body, like an extension of the body, and marks the
boundary between self and other, individual and society. This course investigates Japanese
culture and society through the language of fashion. Students will be introduced to the
interdisciplinary traditions of scholarship that have emerged in the study of fashion's
relationship to its social, cultural and political contexts. Students will explore a wide variety
of fashion and clothing cultures embedded in the lives of modern Japan, ranging from the
male and female ideals, commodification of youth, anxiety and re-evaluation of aging,
conformity, and an expression of individuality. Students are encouraged to disseminate their
learning through a triad of interactive, creative and theoretical assignments including
blogging and a fully-referenced catalogue book essay.
Gender in Japanese Visual and Literary Cultures
An upper-level course encouraging critical analysis and exploration of assumed/innovative
gender roles and behaviors observed in Japanese media and literary texts, and the
comparison with their non-Japanese counterparts. Students will learn to rethink the concept
of gender as historical and social constructs, and how it is created and circulated through
fictional texts.
Researching Japan: Dissertation
This upper-level course requires students to research a project oriented to support their
interests in and understanding of contemporary Japan and its cultures. Research will be
presented in a 7,000-dissertation form and may include visual components. Through
research, students are encouraged to learn various research methodologies and techniques to
successfully complete a literature review and case studies analysis. This course will be a good
preparation for any students who wish to pursue studies in postgraduate research level.