Special Topics: Psychology of Film: Anime Archetypes (PSY 302 74)
KIIS in Japan
Summer 2009
Updated version
John L. Howie, Ph.D.
Pikeville College
jhowie@pc.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Films can serve as a bridge between cultures, making us aware of differences as well as
similarities. In this course we shall be viewing Japanese anime films as well as American classics for
their implicit cultural and archetypal content. As in the classic Western tales of hero, dragon and virgin,
the hero of Japanese films necessarily has his male boon companion, a female counterpart, as well as a
shadowy nemesis. But the female counterpart or anima in Japanese anime is much more likely to be
the one who ultimately saves the hero instead of vice versa. Whereas the Japanese have a more
collectivist tendency, Americans tend to be more individualistic. Ultimately we shall discover that the
symbolism of films—much like dreams—reveals the character of their creator and their audience, the
culture within the individual.
COURSE ASSESSMENT
The selected topic is the psychology of film. We shall explore how the great personality
theorists interpret the symbols and structures of film in order to compare the cinematic representation
of Japanese and American culture. We shall be reading about and viewing both classic American films
and Japanese anime films in order to discover the underlying archetypal patterns. Every few days for
the next four weeks you will submit a legibly written 3 to 5 page paper on a classic film or anime series
from either America or Japan. If screening technology and the “film” (Video, DVD, USB, etc.) are
available, you might choose to compare a Japanese version of a story to an American one (e.g. The
Seven Samurai by Kurosawa and The Magnificent Seven by John Houston) or vice versa. If not, you will
probably be writing about the films described in the text, those which we have seen in class, or those
with which you are terribly familiar from the perspectives outlined in your text. The first paper will
count as 10% of your final grade, the two subsequent papers will count as 15%, whereas the final paper
of at least 7 pages will count as 20%. All papers must be either legibly written or typed; in the latter
case, the typed version can be half the proscribed length. However, I generally prefer your discussion
to be more in depth, which usually requires a somewhat greater length.
I expect informed participation in the class discussion, which means that all members of the
seminar should have read the day’s assigned chapters. Since we will be traveling, there should be many
as-yet-unforeseen opportunities for reflective essays concerning Japanese culture and cinematic art.
Therefore 30% of your final grade will be pop quizzes and mini-essays to be determined en route and on
site. The final essay exam will count as 10% of your final grade.
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COURSE MATERIALS
Movies and the Mind: Theories of the Great Psychoanalysts Applied to Film by William Indick;
Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., 2004. ISBN 10: 0786419539
Anime from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation by
Susan J. Napier; New York: Palgrave Macmilllan, 2005 (2nd Edition). ISBN 10: 1403970513
COURSE CALENDAR
SESSION #
DAY
DATE
READING
Movies & the Mind
Anime from Akira
1
2
3
4
Th
Fr
Sa
Su
June 4
June 5
June 6
June 7



5
6
7
Mo
June 8
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Tu
We
June 9
June 10


ASSIGNMENT
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Paper on Film
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Paper on Film
TENRI - KYŌTO - TŌKYO - HIROSHIMA - NARA
June 18  Chapter 8
Chapter 8

Chapter
9
Chapter 9
June 19
WEEKEND WITH HOST FAMILY
Chapter 10
Mo June 22  Chapter 10
NARA – KYŌTO

Chapter
11
Chapter 11
We June 24
Chapter 12
Th June 25  Chapter 12

Chapter
13
Chapter 13
Fr June 26
Conclusion
Chapter 14 & Conclusion
Su June 28
Th
Fr
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Paper on Film
Final Paper on Film
Final Essay Exam