Your students are probably more comfortable with many products from Japan—the car their parents drive might be Japanese, the camera they own could be, and many of the cartoons that the have seen are either Japanese animations (anime) dubbed and edited for an American audience (Astroboy, Speed Racer, Pokemon, to name a few) or American animation influenced by the Japanese (Avatar). But although your students may feel familiarity with the cultural products of Japan, learning about their specific origins and receptions in Japan can help your students gain insight into another culture and become more globally aware.
The idea is simple. Draw on that which is familiar to teach the unfamiliar.
This website is divided into four units spanning prominent popular visual cultures of the modern period of Japan from the late 19th century to today.
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1.Early Photography, 2. Picture Storytelling, 3. Animé, 4. Web 2.0 social networking
Developed for the Teaching Asia Workshop and
Teaching the Globe:
Opportunities and Challenges to Teaching Global Topics in the 21st Century
Saturday, May 7, 2011
325 Hetzel Union Building
Penn State University
University Park, PA
