Popular Culture in Japan and East Asia

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 5
• Convenor: Dr Michael Tsang
• Assessment: a 15-minute recorded video essay (30%) and 2500-word essay (70%)

In this module we examine the development and academic significance of various forms of Japanese popular culture from multidisciplinary perspectives and in East Asian contexts, including China, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In this topical and theoretically grounded module, you will explore those forms of Japanese and East Asian popular culture that have drawn worldwide scholarly attention, including manga, animation, fashion, video games and pop music.

Indicative syllabus

• Theories of Japanese popular culture
• Creative industries and nation branding
• Cultural consumption: Kawaii as ideology?
• Idols and celebrity
• East Asian pop culture
• Korean wave and East Asian nationalism
• Masculinity in Japanese pop culture
• Representation of women in Japanese pop culture