Weekend Workshops

In addition to our semester-long seminars the USC U.S.-China Institute offers weekend workshops at USC focused on specific themes and topics using Asian case studies.

 Current seminars open for enrollment

 Cool Japan: Japanese Pop Culture at Home and Abroad

A Day-long Workshop for Educators

Saturday, December 3, 2011
9 am – 3:30 pm

You’ve no doubt seen images from Comic-Con or other gatherings. Or perhaps you’re one of the many who love Japanese anime, manga, music, game shows, video games, food, and fashion have become hugely popular far beyond the country’s borders. K-12 educators are invited to join us for a workshop that will explore some of what is popular in Japan, what this suggests about contemporary values and worries, and how some of Japanese pop culture has attracted legions of fans in the U.S. and elsewhere. 

Who should attend? Anyone who teaches about Japan or would like to do so and anyone interested in issues such as how history is presented in popular media and what has facilitated or hampered the embrace of elements of Japanese pop culture by Americans and others. 

Presenters:

William Tsutsui, Southern Methodist University
Dean of SMU’s Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, William Tsutsui is the author of Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters and co-author of In Godzilla's Footsteps: Japanese Pop Culture Icons on the Global Stage. Before helping scholars and the general public make sense of the global reach of Japanese pop culture, Tsutsui was well-known for his path-breaking work on Japanese business history. For example, his 1998 book Manufacturing Ideology: Scientific Management in Twentieth-Century Japan received the top award for a book on Japan from the Association for Asian Studies. 

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 Lynne Miyake, Pomona College
A popular professor of Japanese language and literature, Lynne Miyake has followed the rise of manga (comic books) and, especially, how manga creators have remade Japanese classics. One of her recent articles is “Graphically Speaking Genjis: Manga Versions of The Tale of Genji.” Miyake notes that manga has had an impact on virtually every aspect of Japanese life. Most of Miyake’s research has focused on classical Japanese literature and she’s published extensively on narrative strategies and portrayals of gender in Heian Japan. 

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 Akira Mizuta Lippit, University of Southern California

One of the nation’s top specialists on Japanese cinema, Akira Lippit is professor of cinematic arts, comparative literature, and East Asian languages and cultures. His books include Atomic Light (Shadow Optics) looks at those moments when science and technology create ways of seeing that which is otherwise can’t be seen. His analysis utilizes films where key elements are invisible or made invisible. His current research looks at contemporary Japanese cinema and the relationship between Japanese culture and the world. 

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In addition to working with these presenters, participants will discuss how to effectively utilize elements of Japanese pop culture to teach about Japan, about cultural exchange, and about globalization. Each participant will be given a copy of William Tsutsui’s Japanese Popular Culture and Globalization as well as additional readings and resource recommendations. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. 

To enroll:
1. Please DOWNLOAD AND COMPLETE THE WORKSHOP APPLICATION
2. Send the application and a check for $35 (payable to the University of Southern California) to the USC U.S.-China Institute at the address below. The check holds your registration space. It will be returned to participants at the end of the workshop. If you do not attend the full workshop, the check will be cashed. 

USC U.S.-China Institute

Japanese Pop Culture Workshop
3535 S. Figueroa St.  FIG 202

Los Angeles, California  90089-1262

Questions? Please call 1-213-821-4382 or write asiak12@usc.edu.

Curious about Comic-Con, manga, and more? Please take a look at these abbreviated selection of Asia Pacific Arts articles, interviews and photo collections.

Movies
Japan Film Festival Los Angeles 2011  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?japan_film_festival_los_angeles_2011_capsule_reviews_16686.aspx

A Good Husband  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?you_cant_go_home_again_review_of_a_good_husband_16687.aspx

AFM 2010: Japanese Films  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?afm_2010_japanese_films_16181.aspx

2010 Pia Film Festival  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?2010_pia_film_festival_award_winners_15738.aspx

A Poem of 3 Letters that is Ozu  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?a_poem_of_3_letters_that_is_ozu_criterions_latest_two-dvd_set_15426.aspx

The Hariyama Bridge (African American director)  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?the_harimaya_bridge_bridging_the_gaps_of_cultural_bias_14997.aspx

Chaos Reigns  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?chaos_reigns_a_celebration_of_kurosawas_centennial_14724.aspx

Nobody to Watch Over Me  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?psiff_2010_nobody_to_watch_over_me_14512.aspx

Air Doll  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?shes_my_inflatable_one_review_of_air_doll_14447.aspx

Kanikosen  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?touring_the_gulag_archipelago_tanaka_hiroyukis_kanikosen_14181.aspx

AFM 2009: Japanese Films  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?american_film_market_2009_japanese_films_10215.aspx

Anime
Dawn of the Arcana  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?how_to_make_all_sorts_of_tension_dawn_of_the_arcana_manga_review_16933.aspx
Tekken: Blood Vengeance  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?a_fighters_coming_of_age_review_of_tekken_blood_vengeance_17252.aspx

Rei Hiroe  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?anime_expo_2010_black_lagoons_rei_hiroe_16727.aspx

Kenji Kamiyama  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?anime_expo_2010_eden_of_the_easts_kenji_kamiyama_16726.aspx

FanimeCon 2011  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?fanimecon_2011_overview_and_cosplay_slideshow_16970.aspx

Pokemon Experience  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?the_whole-hearted_pok%C3%A9mon_experience_16292.aspx

Evangelion 2.0 http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?rebuild_in_progress_evangelion_2_0s_north_american_premiere_16322.aspx
Anime Expo 2008  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?anime_expo_2008_anime_and_the_north_american_downfall_8805.aspx

Shoko Nakgawa  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?giza_giza_kawaii_or_why_shoko_nakagawa_is_the_otakus_perfect_girlfriend_8807.aspx

Masakazu Morita  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?anime_expo_2010_interview_with_masakazu_morita_17498.aspx

Morikawa Toshiyuki  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?school_days_like_no_other_interview_with_morikawa_toshiyuki_17469.aspx

Nobuo Uematsu and Arnie Roth  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?bridge_between_distant_worlds_an_interview_with_nobuo_uematsu_and_arnie_roth_17412.aspx

Akemi Takada  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?interview_with_akemi_takada_8809.aspx

Manga
Tatsumi Yoshihiro http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?manga_creator_nominated_for_eisner_hall_of_fame_14527.aspx

Report from Comic-Con 2009  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?report_from_comic-con_2009_9114.aspx

Photos from Comic-Con 2010 http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?2010_comic-con_overview_15656.aspx

Alternative Manga Anthology  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?alternative_manga_anthology_interview_with_editor_sean_michael_wilson_15652.aspx

 

Music
B’z  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?across_the_ocean_with_bz_concert_review_17290.aspx

Miyavi  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?my_name_is_miyavi_and_i_just_wanna_rock_interview_17578.aspx

Final Fantasy Orchestra  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?final_fantasy_orchestra_a_distant_worlds_concert_review_15577.aspx

Akanishi Jin (2010) http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?3010_in_the_future_akanishi_jin_concert_review_16135.aspx

http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?you_jin_jin_akanishi_concert_review_15440.aspx

Hiromi Uehara  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?finding_a_place_to_be_a_hiromi_uehara_concert_review_15016.aspx

Utada Hikaru  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?utada_hikaru_is_she_the_one_9000.aspx

Flow  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?a_fanime_interview_with_flow_15327.aspx

Morning Musume  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?anime_expo_2009_morning_musume_9097.aspx

Gaming
Ryu ga Gotoku  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?your_one_stop_shop_for_the_seedy_underbelly_of_japan_a_review_of_ryu_ga_gotoku_9068.aspx

Memento Mori  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?memento_mori_love_pop_and_death_personified_9122.aspx

Daisuke Ishiwatari and Toshimichi Mori   http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?be_ready_for_the_rebels_interview_with_daisuke_ishiwatari_and_toshimichi_mori_15326.aspx

Sakura Wars  http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?sakura_wars_about_time_damn_it_15103.aspx

Past workshops

Fall 2011 (October 21-22): Media Culture in Contemporary China: A conference and workshop for educators
Spring 2010 (May 1, 2010): Integrating Human Rights into Your Curriculum: Case Studies from Asia
Fall 2009 (December 9, 2009): Images of East Asia
Fall 2009 (September 12, 2009): Islam in China
Spring 2008 (May 3, 2008): Integrating Human Rights into Your Curriculum: Case Studies from Asia
Fall 2007 (October 20, 2007): Images of East Asia
Spring 2007 (May 5, 2007): Islam in Asia