Topics that will be covered in this class are the following:

Brief overview of Japanese history and culture
Pop Culture - What is it?
Anime - Industry vs fan culture
Manga - Why does it remain such a prevalent force?
Music - The evolution of Johnny's Jimusho and Hello! Project
Television - Dramas as one mode of the consensus narrative
Sports - Comparing/contrasting sumo and baseball
Fashion - Expressions of the Youth
Video Games - A Truly Global Outreach?

Themes we shall focus on are the following:

Globalization
Group mentality vs individualism (East vs west)
Media interconnectivity
Fan culture vs industry

The scope of this class will not be limited to the above list, but I will endeavor to cover all the above topics as well as other subjects that interest the class.