Japanse Flower Arrangements Shinichi "Nabeshin" Watanabe Name:

Topic:

Second Project

Project 2 Ideas and Topics

Due on 3/26-3/31, either paper, wiki page, or work of art

Project #2 - Due 3/17-24

1:45 Class

3/17                                                  3/22                                        3/24

3:10 Class

1:45 Class

3:10 Class

Grading:

You will be graded on several aspects of your project

• Mechanics (grammar, execution, etc...)
• Thesis (does the project/paper have a point?)
• Relevance to our class (relation of the individual to his/her society)
• Originality

Topics:

History

• Either of the Sino-Japanese war - the causes or effects.
• Russo-Japanese war
• Installation of the puppet state of Manchuko
• Choose any of the sidebar articles from the Wiki and present it to the class
• Do a page or report on Existentialism in Japan: Where did it come from? Why did they embrace it?

Akira Kurosawa

• Choose any of Kurosawa's films and (briefly) compare it to Yojimbo, explaining how the movie's message examines the tensions between what society expects of you and what you want to do yourself.
• Talk about Kurosawa's artwork and describe the style and how it exemplifies Kurosawa's character.
• Choose another Japanese director who owes some sort of debt to Kurosawa and explain why.
• Do a report on Kurosawa's humanism - what is it? How does it exemplify his thoughts about the group and the individual?
• Do a report/page explaining why Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune, or Sanjuro (the character) could be considered outsiders (choose one).
• Do a report/page on Kurosawa camera/framing techniques in Yojimbo, outlining how they achieve some sort of overall effect (in detail).

Kobo Abe

• Choose any of his plays and talk about how its dramatic choices outline the tensions b/w mainstream culture and underground culture
• Discuss Kobo Abe's writing and how it attempts to highlight the tensions in Japanese society.
• Do a reading of Woman in the Dunes as an explanation of the Burakumin story
• Do a report on any other avant-garde theater troupe from the 60's or 70's - Hi Red Center, Waseda Little Theater, Black Tent Theater, etc...
• Do a report/page on the film Woman in the Dunes - does it convey the same messages as the book? Why or why not?