Faculty-led domestic and international study and service courses that provide students opportunities to explore and experience other cultures, learn in new environments, develop skills not readily acquired elsewhere, and deepen their understanding of the global community. Curricular offerings earn .5 course credit and count toward satisfying the Extended Studies requirement; co-curricular offerings do not carry academic credit but do count toward the Extended Studies requirement.
| Distribution Area | Prerequisites | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Variable |
Winter Term information
Hiroko Chiba,David Berque
183A: Japanese Culture, Technology and Design (off-campus)
Students will learn about Japanese culture, technology and design with an emphasis on the way these three areas are interrelated. The Japanese concept of monozukuri will serve as the central theme of the course. Monozukuri is one of the key concepts that inspire product manufacturing in contemporary Japanese industry. Mono literally means 'tangible things' while zukuri means 'making.' The compound word implies the spirit or determination to produce excellent products and the ability to constantly improve the products. The spirit of craftsmanship has been the driving force behind traditional art and craft-making throughout the history of Japan. In contemporary society, it is one of the foundations for the production of modern products from cars to robots to video games. As such, the spirit of monozukuri can also be seen in small items commonly found in a regular household. The course will be built around approximately two weeks that are spent on site in Japan. This part of the course will include two primary destinations including three day trips: a) In Kyoto, students will learn about traditional craftsmanship in Japan. We will have a one-day city overview in Kyoto and visits to Nara or Himeji Castle, depending on the weather. On a day trip to Nagoya, students will learn about industrial development in Japan through Toyota and will visit the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology as well as the Toyota assembly plant. We will also take a day-trip to Hiroshima and will relate this trip to the need to carefully consider the negative implications of designing new technologies. b) In Tokyo, we will focus on recent technology advancements and innovations. Students will investigate the development of advanced technology through the lens of monozukuri. The Tokyo stay will consist of a one-day city overview, a visit to the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan), a visit to the Mori Building Digital Art Museum which features the work by teamLab, and a visit to the department of Advanced Robotics at the Chiba Institute of Technology. Additional course time will be spent on campus to develop background and basic language skills prior to departing for Japan and to complete course work upon our return.
There are no required prerequisites, however previous exposure to Japanese history, culture or language and/or to technology or design would be be helpful.
For more information on program costs and how to apply for the program, paste this URL into your web browser: https://offcampus.depauw.edu/_portal/program-discovery
Use the filter to search for "Winter" Term.