Cultural Futures: Japan's Creative Industries in Global Perspective

Catalog description

This course explores the current dynamics, tension, and complexity of Japan's creative industries within a globalized media landscape. Through an interdisciplinary approach, we will examine the production, consumption, and distribution of Japanese cultural texts - from anime and gaming to music, film, fashion, and digital media - within local and international contexts. Students will engage with theoretical frameworks drawn from media and cultural studies, sociology, and international relations while conducting hands-on fieldwork and collaborative projects with Kyoto's creative community. By the end of the course, students will critically analyze how Japan's creative industries negotiate opportunities and threats inherent in the current global cultural economy.