Basic Requirements and Evaluation:

• Weekly Discussion questions/Discussion Forums (40%)
• Attendance/Participation Discussion Section (10%)
• Group Research Assignment (25%)
• Take-home Cumulative Final Exam (20%)
• Watching Online Lectures (quiz completion 5%)
• Attendance at lectures and discussion sections (Covid-19 rules)
  

Click here for Grading Rubric.

CLASS PREPARATION:

Online Lectures (quizes)

There are 6 online lectures on the changing historical context of a particular period's ghosts. They range from 10-25 minutes. These are especially important if you have no background in premodern Japanese history. There is a short canvas quiz for each to demonstrate you watched the video. You just have to pass the quiz and can take it several times to do so.

Reading Questions and Images (right hand side of syllabus):

You should come to class having read the assigned material; the reading questions are there to help you figure out what is most important in the reading.

As noted above in "attendance at lectures," although lecture attendance is not mandatory, I can guarantee (from past experience) that you will not do well on your discussion questions, group project, and final if you don't attend the live zoom or watch it recorded in Yuja. I present a good deal of material that is not in the readings, and so if you miss lecture, you do not have access to that material. My class outlines, although detailed, are not enough.

Optional: There are images to be viewed on the website for each week. You will be better prepared for class if you come having viewed the images and descriptions attached to the images.

Class Outlines (left hand side of syllabus):

I will have these up during the lecture for you to follow along; you can take notes however you like. Some outlines will be used for more than one class. Have the readings available as well; we will sometimes have in-class discussions for which you will need those.

CLASS WORK

Discussion Section Questions and Discussion Forums (left hand side of syllabus):

Prior to discussion section each week on Wednesday you will have answered Discussion Questions. There are two optional discussion sections; that week there will be an online discussion forum (I may opt to add more discussion forums).

For discussion sections where discussion questions are assigned:

1) Have the assigned reading available.

2) Answer the "Discussion Questions" assigned for that week.

NOTE 1: Please include discussion question week # in your title (eg., JSmith-DiscussionWeek5), and make sure that you include your NAME, the DATE, and DISCUSSION WEEK # on the paper itself. THEY ARE TO BE UPLOADED TO ASSIGNMENTS IN CANVAS.

NOTE 2: Whether you attend the discussion section or not DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ARE DUE EACH WEEK ON WEDNESDAY BY 11 AM.

NOTE 3: To get full credit you need to submit the discussion section questions by discussion section time. However, you are allowed to resubmit your discussion questions after discussion section (make sure you clearly title them as "resubmitted") to take into account the class discussion. Canvas will close for resubmission at 11:59 that day.

NOTE 4: If you are missing section, you can still get full credit for the discussion questions if you upload before section that day.

Late submissions: since they are meant to facilitate discussion, and you have an unfair advantage if you answer after hearing class discussion, if you turn in Discussion Questions late you lose a full grade (i.e. A to B, A- to B-). But that is the only penalty, so it still makes sense to turn in late assignments to your TA. Late assignments on the day of section can be submitted to Assignments on Canvas, but after the day of discussion section they should be emailed directly to the TA, Kristina (khorn1@uci.edu).

HOW TO ANSWER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (see here)

Online Discussion Forums:

For each prompt, you need to submit at least three responses, your own and a response to at least two other persons' ideas.

Click here for Grading Rubric.

Take-home Final Exam (click here for Grading Rubric) :

The final exam will be cumulative and take-home. It will ask you to analyze ghost stories (both those examined in the course, and ones you haven't seen before) using the analytical tools developed in the course.

Group Research Assignment: (click here)

For this project, groups of 2-3 students will select a contemporary Japanese ghost or other kind of supernatural being (from manga, anime, J-horror, live-action movies, television, fiction etc.) and compare it to premodern ghosts and other premodern forms of the Japanese supernatural, guided by the following questions:

How is this contemporary form of the supernatural connected to premodern forms? How is it different?

Using the method of critical analysis we've developed in class, what is this representation of the supernatural responding to in terms of historical context, authorship, audience, goal, genre, and narrative structure?

Each group will do a five-minute presentation during the last three days of classes, and write a short analysis paper of 3-5 pages. Peer review of other student presentations will also be involved.

Disability Accomodation:

Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the Disability Services Center at 949/824-7494 as soon as possible to better ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.