Cool Japan: Japanese Pop Culture at Home and Abroad
A Day-long Workshop for Educators
Saturday, December 3, 2011
9 am – 3:30 pm
United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA Building)
3303 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010
Teachers-only price: FREE (registration fee of $35 will be applied if participants do not attend)
To register, please complete the form below and send it as an email attachment to
asiak12@usc.edu or fax it to 213-821-2382.
The Saturday teacher training program will focus on how to integrate the information and
presentations from the workshop into teaching. Refreshments and lunch are included.
The registration deadline is Friday November 18, 2011. Please register now, a limited
number will be allowed to attend!
You’ve no doubt seen images from Comic-Con or other gatherings. Or perhaps you’re one of the
many who love Japanese anime, manga, music, game shows, video games, food, and fashion
have become hugely popular far beyond the country’s borders. K-12 educators are invited to join
us for a workshop that will explore some of what is popular in Japan, what this suggests about
contemporary values and worries, and how some of Japanese pop culture has attracted legions of
fans in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Who should attend? Anyone who teaches about Japan or would like to do so and anyone
interested in issues such as how history is presented in popular media and what has facilitated or
hampered the embrace of elements of Japanese pop culture by Americans and others.
Presenters:
William Tsutsui, Southern Methodist University
Dean of SMU’s Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, William Tsutsui is the author of
Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters and co-author of In Godzilla's
Footsteps: Japanese Pop Culture Icons on the Global Stage. Before helping scholars and the
general public make sense of the global reach of Japanese pop culture, Tsutsui was well-known
for his path-breaking work on Japanese business history. For example, his 1998 book
Manufacturing Ideology: Scientific Management in Twentieth-Century Japan received the top
award for a book on Japan from the Association for Asian Studies.
Lynne Miyake, Pomona College
A popular professor of Japanese language and literature, Lynne Miyake has followed the rise of
manga (comic books) and, especially, how manga creators have remade Japanese classics. One
of her recent articles is “Graphically Speaking Genjis: Manga Versions of The Tale of Genji.”
Miyake notes that manga has had an impact on virtually every aspect of Japanese life. Most of
Miyake’s research has focused on classical Japanese literature and she’s published extensively
on narrative strategies and portrayals of gender in Heian Japan.
Akira Mizuta Lippit, University of Southern California
One of the nation’s top specialists on Japanese cinema, Akira Lippit is professor of cinematic
arts, comparative literature, and East Asian languages and cultures. His books include Atomic
Light (Shadow Optics) looks at those moments when science and technology create ways of
seeing that which is otherwise can’t be seen. His analysis utilizes films where key elements are
invisible or made invisible. His current research looks at contemporary Japanese cinema and the
relationship between Japanese culture and the world.
In addition to working with these presenters, participants will discuss how to effectively utilize
elements of Japanese pop culture to teach about Japan, about cultural exchange, and about
globalization. Each participant will be given a copy of William Tsutsui’s Japanese Popular
Culture and Globalization as well as additional readings and resource recommendations. Lunch
and refreshments will be provided.
To enroll:
1. Complete this workshop application
2. Send the application and a check for $35 (payable to the University of Southern
California) to the USC U.S.-China Institute at the address below. The check holds your
registration space. It will be returned to participants at the end of the workshop. If you do
not attend the full workshop, the check will be cashed.
Deadline Friday, November 18, 2011.
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REGISTRATION FORM
NAME
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Signing this form means you agree to participate in the workshop. Should you not cancel your
registration by October 19, 2011, USC will charge your credit card $25.
Fax (213-821-2382) or email (asiak12@usc.edu) this form by October 14, 2011.