The Wacky Japan Project originated with a series of assignments in the “Introduction to Japan” course at the National University of Singapore. Feel free to adapt these assignments to suit your own needs. Please email me (mcmorran [at] nus.edu.sg) with any questions or feedback on this exercise.
Step one: The first assignment is an individual essay for all 200 students. This is the prompt:
Wacky Japan – Individual Essay (10% of final grade)
Read Wagenaar’s (2016) “Wacky Japan: A new face of orientalism” (access article here: http://asiainfocus.dk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/wacky-japan.pdf), then think of ONE example that qualifies as “wacky Japan”. This may be a character, place, object, idea, game, or stereotype found in news articles, online chat forums, or embedded in films/ manga/anime/novels. In 500 words (including references), 1) introduce the example/case and 2) explain how it fits Wagenaar’s definition of wacky Japan.
Tip: In order to demonstrate your understanding of your example/case, you will need to do some research on its origins/history/background. However, rather than simply describing the example, a significant portion of your paper should be dedicated to explaining how the example/case that you have chosen is being made to appear/has been interpreted as “wacky”. The best essays will accurately and adequately articulate Wagenaar’s ideas in your own words. You may include images and/or video links in your paper.
Step two of the exercise involves peer review of all individual essays. In groups of four, all students give and receive three reviews, centered on a specific set of questions.
Step three (optional) is a face-to-face (in person or online) essay workshop. Students meet in their peer review groups to discuss the four essays in turn (approx 10 minutes per essay). The aim is to encourage a conversation about each essay, including an opportunity for each author to reply to reviewers. Students email their reviews to each author after the peer review.
Step four: each author revises their individual essay and submits for grading. Note: the peer reviews can also be marked to encourage active participation and thoughtful reviews.
Step five: each peer review group of four students chooses one of the individual essays to extend into a group research project. This is the prompt:
Wacky Japan extended – Group Research Project (Paper and Presentation – 30% of final grade):
In a group of four members from the same tutorial, write a 2500-word research paper (including references) that expands upon one of your individual “wacky Japan” projects. You will critique representations of the example/case, and explain why you think such representations are problematic, limiting, or limited, i.e. what is wrong with all that wackiness.
Tip: Contextualize your discussion within the socio/cultural/historical conditions in which your “wacky” example is situated. For instance, if your example is the J-Pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, you could contextualize your discussion within the universe of Harajuku fashion, J-Pop culture/music, or cute culture.
Step six: The exercise concludes with a face-to-face (in person or online) presentation by each group and submission of the group research paper for grading. The best papers have been chosen and edited to be shared on this site.
Please email me (mcmorran [at] nus.edu.sg) with any questions or feedback on this exercise. I would especially like to hear if you incorporate any of these elements in your own course.