updated Sept. 1, 2015 (ver. 1.

0)

SOCIETIES OF THE WORLD 33, TOKYO

SYLLABUS FOR FALL, 2015
MW(F) 1-2, 118 YENCHING LIBRARY (2 DIVINITY AVE)
Ted Bestor
Professor of Social Anthropology
Director of the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies
Contact info:
Office:
Office hours:

bestor@fas.harvard.edu (please start subject line with SW33)

314 Tozzer Anthropology Bldg. (21 Divinity Ave.)
2:30 4:30 Mondays, or by appointment

This course has no prerequisites; the course is designed for students without
prior knowledge of Tokyo, Japanese studies, anthropology, and/or urban studies.
Students with prior background in any aspects of these are entirely welcome!
This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the General Education requirement
for either Culture and Belief, or Societies of the World, but not both. For
concentrators in Anthropology, this course counts as an entry-level course, which can
be used to fulfill concentration requirements; it can also count for elective credit toward
the concentration. For East Asian Studies concentrators, this course counts toward
elective concentration requirements.
Graduate students interested in the course should register for Anthropology
2682, to receive graduate credit. (Enrollment in SW 33 is restricted to
undergraduates.) Requirements for graduate enrollment will be explained in a
separate document.
Teaching Fellows:
Zoe Eddy
Ryan Glasnovich
Additional TFs depending on enrollment
Class sessions

MW(F) 1-2 pm 118 Yenching Library (2 Divinity Ave.) lectures on M&W;

Fridays will be for videos, films, guest lecturers, tours of Harvard
collections
Plus required weekly section meeting time and location to be determined,
will be announced in class shortly (likely section times are W. and Th.)

Societies of the World 33, Tokyo, -- revised 9/1/2015 -- page 2

NOTE: During the first two weeks of this semester, I will be presenting lectures on
Friday, Sept. 4 and Friday, Sept. 11.
Some film and video showings will have to be scheduled outside of class hours
to accommodate their lengths. Times and places will be announced in class.
Schedule of lecture topics and assigned readings
The weekly schedule of lecture topics and assigned readings (for discussion in
sections) is a separate document from the syllabus, and will be distributed in class and
posted on the course website.
Books ordered through the Co-op (also check Amazon.com or Alibris.com for
cheaper prices and used copies) -- all ordered books have also been placed on reserve
at Lamont.
Required: Three of the following five books (ethnographic and historical studies
of Tokyo)
Bestor, Theodore C. 1989. Neighborhood Tokyo. Stanford U. P. (ISBN-10:
0804717974 (Kindle edition also available)) a study of community life in an
ordinary part of Tokyo; focused on the kinds of social ties that residents maintain
with one another and the sense of tradition (created) among them that gives
meaning to the place.
Bestor, Theodore C. 2004. Tsukiji: The Fish Market at the Center of the World, U. of
California Press. (ISBN-10: 0520220242) an ethnographic study of the worlds
largest wholesale market for seafood, the central node of Japans sushi trade, and
the food culture of contemporary Japan.
Cybriwsky, Roman. 2011. Roppongi Crossing. U. of Georgia Press. (ISBN-10:
082033832X (Kindle edition also available)) examines the emergence of Roppongi
as a trans-national node of nightlife, the sex trade, cosmopolitan influences, and the
efforts (successful) by Tokyo real estate developers to re-define the place.
Katsu Kokichi, 1991, Musui's Story: The Autobiography of a Tokugawa Samurai.
(trans. by Teruko Craig). U. of Arizona Press. (ISBN-13: 978-0816512560) the
life story of a low ranking samurai in the early 19th century, a neer-do-well rebel. It is
a gritty view of the Tokugawa samurai system from the bottom up.
White, Merry I. 2012. Coffee Life in Japan. U. of California Press. (ISBN-10:
0520271157 (Kindle edition also available)) looks at coffee and coffee shops as
means to understand Japanese modernity and embrace of Western influences
since the late 19th century. The coffee shop (kissaten) is a central institution of
urban life, and this book shows why!

Societies of the World 33, Tokyo, -- revised 9/1/2015 -- page 3

Required:

One of the following three novels or literary studies

Kirino, Natsuo. 2005. Out. (trans. by Stephen Snyder). Vintage. (ISBN 1400078377).
Originally published in Japanese in 1997. Women cut loose in a nondescript
suburb of Tokyo. (This is not a police procedural, but it has its gory moments, If
you like Patricia Cornwall novels or are a fan of CSI, this is for you! If you are
squeamish, give it a pass.)
Tanizaki, Junichir. 1985. Naomi. (trans. by Anthony Chambers). Vintage
International. (ISBN-10: 0375724745). Originally published in Japanese in the
1920s. Jazz age modernism, romance between waitress and salaryman -Somerset Maugham, where are you? Tanizaki (1886-1965).
Freedman, Alisa. 2010. Tokyo in Transit. Stanford U.P. (ISBN-10: 0-0847-7145-6
(Kindle edition also available)) a literary study of how the availability of mass
transit in Tokyo in the early 20th century was reflected in literature, particularly in
portraying new found freedom (and dangers) for females.
Course website and on-line resources: Check the SW33 website regularly. I am still
working through the new Canvas course website.
All materials distributed in class will be posted on the SW33 website, and it will be
updated frequently throughout the semester. The website also includes a wide variety of
visual and on-line resources on Tokyo past and present, including extensive sets of
links to multi-media resources on Tokyo, including links to all the major Tokyo
newspapers and television networks (English language homepages). Professor Bestor
is always looking for new and interesting links to add to the site, so feel free to impress
him with news of the interesting sites you discover.
Many course readings will be available on-line, either through the website or through
Harvard University Librarys electronic resources, such as JSTOR, available through
HOLLIS. These will be posted on the course website in topically organized Modules.
Course requirements and grading:

Active participation in sections 15% of course grade

Short response papers on assigned themes 3 papers (4 pages each), 30% of
grade in total. Assigned themes/topics will be distributed two weeks before due
dates. These response papers will require thorough knowledge of lectures and
readings. Due in section, check course calendar for due dates.
Final project 30% of course grade (due in section, the last week of classes)
Final examination 25% of course grade to be scheduled by the registrar; the
final examination will consist primarily of analytic questions covering material
from the entire course, including required books.

Section participation

Societies of the World 33, Tokyo, -- revised 9/1/2015 -- page 4

Students are expected to participate actively in their sections. Teaching fellows will
distribute and assign discussion questions based on lectures, readings, and other
course materials, and will solicit topics for further discussion from section members.
Each section will pick several current topics about Tokyo to explore through on-line
English editions of major Tokyo newspapers and other on-line media (see Tokyo
Headlines on course website), and students will be expected to keep abreast of these
topics for periodic discussion in sections. TFs will assign groups to make presentations
on selected news topics.
Students will be expected to discuss their short papers and plans for their final projects
in sections and to provide useful critical feedback to each other about their projects.
Teaching fellows are responsible for assigning grades for section participation.
Short response papers
Three short response papers will be assigned during the course of the semester on
various topics. Response papers should be no more than 4 pages in length. These
papers will collectively represent 30% of the final grade. (10% of a response papers
grade will be deducted per day for late papers.)
Final project
Final course projects will involve individual research and writing (or other appropriate
form of presentationvideo, GIS, or other visual media, for example, with prior
approval from Professor Bestor). The final project should be either a research
paper (3500-4000 words in length), with complete scholarly documentation, or a visual
or multi-media product of comparable scope and sophistication. Students should consult
early in the semester with teaching fellows and with Bestor about topic and scope of
projects. If you are thinking about a non-paper project, it is essential that you
consult with your TF and Professor Bestor sooner rather than later before Oct. 19.
Complete guidelines on format and bibliographic style for the paper will be distributed in
class and discussed in sections.
A written preview of the final project (one page maximum) -- plus a critical annotated
bibliography of at least five sources (books, articles, videos, etc.) with complete
bibliographic citations, call numbers, and a sentence or two describing each source -- is
required from each student by October 19, to be submitted to your section TF.
These preview statements should define clearly the question or problem being posed
for the final project. This preview of the final project is required, and if you do not
submit it, 10% will be deducted from your grade on the final project. In the following
week, each student should schedule an appointment with his/her TF to discuss the
project and get feedback on it. Students are urged to develop their preview or prcis
through consultations with the teaching fellows and with Professor Bestor beforehand.
The final project is due in the last section meeting of the semester. Late papers
will have 10% deducted from the paper grade for each day late.