Courses Taught at UBC
ASIA 364
Modern Japanese Literature in Translation
A survey of literary works from the Meiji to mid-Shōwa period, including novels, essays, poetry, diaries, and travel narratives. Class conducted using i>clickers.
ASIA 453
Japanese Travel Literature
Myths, legends, poetry, tales, diaries, illustrated guides, satiric sermons, haiku, and comic fiction from the 8th to 18th centuries.
ASIA 464
Japanese Women's Self-Writing
A survey of autobiographical works written by women during the Heian (794-1185) and Kamakura (1185-1333) periods. Works read in translation include poetry, travel narratives, diaries, journals, and court records.
ASIA 521
Research Methods and Source Materials in Japanese Studies
An introduction to resources for researching Japanese literature. Co-taught with Japanese language librarian Shirin Eshghi, with guest visits from specialists of Japanese art history, poetry, theatre, and popular culture.
ASIA 532A & 532B
Topics in Traditional Japanese Literature
Socialization, Education, and the Life Cycle of a Medieval Court Woman (2011)
Court Women in Ancient and Medieval Japan: Gender, Status, and Literary Production (2007)
A graduate seminar taking up canonical research on women’s status from the Heian through Nanbokuchō periods, including the early feminist scholar Takamure Itsue (1894-1964) and more recent work by historians Wakita Haruko (1934-), Tabata Yasuko (1941-), Fukuto Sanae (1947-), Kurushima Noriko (1955-), Goto Michiko (1935-), and others. The course examined historical and literary sources to consider how women were educated, where they resided, who they married, how they received patronage, and what property they held.
Kiroku, Nikki, and Nikki Bungaku: Gender and Genre in Premodern Japan (2006)
A graduate seminar in which we examined primary works, commentaries, and relevant theory to consider the categories and approaches used to interpret premodern Japanese autobiographical writing.
Journeys and Journals: Japanese Women’s Travel Writing from Nara to Nanbokuchō (2005)
A graduate seminar focusing on a wide range of primary texts from the Nara through to Nanbokuchō periods with travel as a theme. Participants examined the role of travel in women’s literature by reading canonical texts such as the Manyōshū, Kokinshū, ShinKokinshū, Ise monogatari, and Genji monogatari, and diary literature such as Kagerō nikki, Sarashina nikki, Izayoi nikki, Towazugatari, Nakatsukasa Naishi nikki, and Takemukigaki.
The course included an online component in reading hentaigana, designed by Kanechiku Nobuyuki.
We were joined by guests Sonja Arntzen and Anthony Liman.
ASIA 579
Critical Issues in Asian Studies (2006, 2008)
Led session on female agency and sexual coercion in this communally-taught course offered to Asian Studies graduate students. Co-taught with Stefania Burk a session on "Voice, Poetry, and Autobiography."
JAPN 408
Readings in Modern Japanese Literature
A course aimed at improving proficiency in Japanese literary texts through practice in reading and translating a selection of works by pre- and post-war writers. We read and discuss a broad spectrum of Japanese authors including Murakami Haruki, Kurahashi Yumiko, Nagai Takashi, Hayashi Fumiko, and Miyazawa Kenji.