MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE LITERATURE

This is one of the core courses within the "Japan" curriculum of the Corso di Laurea Magistrale in "Lingue e Civiltà dell'Asia e dell'Africa Mediterranea".
The course contributes to the attainment of the teaching goals of the Corso di Laurea in the area of humanities-related skills.

In particular, this course helps students to acquire:
- A high level of critical knowledge and understanding of various socio-cultural phenomena;
- The ability to use sources and research tools related to the chosen field with competence and confidence;
- A deeper knowledge of the social realities, ways of thinking, and textual cultures of the chosen field;
- The ability to produce oral and written texts related to the field of literary studies;
- The ability to apply their knowledge to the field of literary studies.

Knowledge and Understanding:
- Basic knowledge of theoretical and methodological tools related to the study of modern literature;
- In-depth knowledge of Japanese historical and literary phenomena that can be understood through such theories and methods;

Applying of knowledge and understanding:
- Ability to apply the theoretical and methodological tools acquired in the first part of the course to individual phenomena in the field of modern Japanese literature;
- Ability to recognize the application of such tools in previous scholarship;
- Ability to read and analyze literary texts written in 20th-century Japan.

Communication:
- Summarize and communicate the gist of scholarly texts in a formally correct and effective manner, either orally or in writing.

Making judgments:
- To be able to examine available sources and identify their arguments and assumptions;

- A basic knowledge of the history of modern Japanese literature. Students who wish to deepen their knowledge are invited to contact the teacher for further reading;
- Willingness to read materials in advance and to participate in seminar classes;
- Ability to read primary and secondary sources in apanese.

A basic knowledge of literary Japanese ("bungo") is desirable but not required.

Students will be required to read some materials before a certain number of lessons. These materials will not necessarily be part of the final exam, but students should prepare them if they want to follow and understand the lessons more effectively, and especially if they want to interact during class.

Course topic: The prose-poem (sanbunshi) in Japan (1905-1945)

Starting with the reception of French models represented by Charles Baudelaire’s "Le Spleen de Paris" and Arthur Rimbaud’s "Illuminations", the course will focus on the development of the poème en prose (Japanese: sanbunshi) in Japan during the first half of the twentieth century.
The course will address questions of literary history, literary and genre theory, and comparative literature, combined with close readings of selected texts by authors including Hagiwara Sakutarō, Miyoshi Tatsuji, Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, Kajii Motojirō, Tominaga Tarō, and Sagawa Chika.

The course might include some lectures by invited scholars specializing in the field.

The complete bibliography will be provided at the start of the course.

Oral exam.
Assessment focuses on the ability to critically analyze the topics covered during the course, on bibliographic research, on adherence to academic standards, and on the quality of the organization of the discourse.

oral

The instructor is responsible for ensuring the authenticity and originality of all examinations and coursework. In cases of suspected academic misconduct, an additional on-site assessment may be required during the exams, which may differ from the standard format.

Below are the criteria that will be used for evaluation.

Grade 30 cum Laude (30L)
The grade 30L is awarded to students who excel in all aspects of the evaluation. The oral exam is characterized by:
- Excellent contextualization and historicization skills
- Excellent critical analysis of the studied phenomena and provided primary/secondary sources
- Excellent textual analysis of the examined literary works

Grade 27–29
- Very good contextualization and historicization skills
- Very good critical analysis of the studied phenomena and provided primary/secondary sources
- Very good textual analysis of the examined literary works

Grade 24–26
- Adequate and occasionally good contextualization and historicization skills
- Adequate and occasionally good critical analysis of the studied phenomena and provided primary/secondary sources
- Adequate and occasionally good textual analysis of the examined literary works

Grade 18–23
- Limited yet sufficient contextualization and historicization skills
- Limited yet sufficient critical analysis of the studied phenomena and provided primary/secondary sources
- Limited yet sufficient textual analysis of the examined literary works

Failing Grade (Unsatisfactory)
The exam is considered failed if two or more of the three criteria listed above are deemed insufficient.

Lectures and seminar-based sessions. Class participation will be encouraged but will not be assessed.

There is no distinction in the syllabus or exam format between attending and non-attending students.

This exam (with this syllabus) will be available only for the 4 "appelli" of the 2026-27 academic year. Starting from 2027-28, a new syllabus will be in use.