Dr. Kleeman is a scholar of Japanese literature and culture, specializing in modern and contemporary writers. Early research focused on the literature of Japan's ethnic minorities and female writers. More recently, she has looked at the literature of the Japanese empire, particularly Japanophone literature written by colonial subjects and expatriates. Her current research project looks at cultural flows and interchanges among the cosmopolitan urban centers of East Asia during the first half of the twentieth century. Other research interests include the commodification and consumption of contemporary Japanese authors like Murakami Haruki in East Asia, the Chinese writer Lu Xun's impact in Japan, comparative study on Lu Xun and Natsume Soseki, and literary history in East Asia.
keywords
Japanese Colonial literature, Japanophone literature, cultural studies, film and anime studies, female writers and gender studies, media studies, transnational studies
JPNS 2441 - Japanese Culture through Film and Anime
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018
Examines 20th century Japanese culture through cinematic and animated films. Studies films by Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and contemporary animators Tezuka, Miyazaki, and Kon Satoshi. Considers cultural issues raised in film and anime in light of modern Japanese history and literature. Requires no knowledge of Japanese. Taught in English.
JPNS 3311 - Japanese Colonial and Transnational Literature
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Fall 2019
Explores the development of Japanese and colonial identities in literature produced in and about Japan's colonies during the first half of the 20th century. We will read works written during and about the Japanese empire by Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Okinawan and Taiwanese writers looking at the different representations of empire. Taught in English.
JPNS 3321 - Fantasy and Sci-Fi in Japanese Literature, Film and Culture
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019
Explores the development of Japanese science fiction and fantasy literature produced in the past century. We will read works written by writers such as Abe Kobo, Hoshi Shin'ichi, Kurahashi Yumiko, Ueda Sayuri and Project Ito. Taught in English.
JPNS 3851 - Japanese Popular Culture
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Fall 2019 / Spring 2021
Introduces aspects of Japanese popular culture from the early 1990s economic collapse until the present through a variety of artistic mediums including manga, anime, literature, live-action cinema, video gaming, music, and the visual arts. Taught in English.
JPNS 5920 - Topics in Modern Literature and Culture
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Spring 2021
Close study of a specific problem or issue in modern or contemporary literature or culture: e.g., transwar literary nationalism. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours, provided the topics vary.
