College Bulletin 2022-2023 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
College Bulletin 2022-2023 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

JPNS 031. Language and Gender in Japan


This course aims to gain students’ understanding of how language use constructs, animates, and reproduces gender in our everyday lives. Japanese language is known to contain gendered linguistic elements, and Japanese norms of behavior have been considered to be highly gendered as well. How do Japanese speakers conform, utilize, and resist these norms in language use and interaction? How does the media use gendered language to create different characters? In what ways are the linguistic and cultural differences between Japanese and English translated? How do the differences affect the language use of multilingual speakers? Throughout the semester, we will investigate how social and cultural contexts give meaning to both linguistic practices and gender categories. Students will not only explore what we have learned about the language and gender over the past several decades but also consider how they can apply the findings and discussions into their own language use.

Readings and discussion will be in English. Some knowledge of Japanese is recommended but not required for this course.
Humanities.
1 credit.
Catalog chapter: Modern Languages and Literatures: Japanese  
Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/japanese


Access the class schedule to search for sections.