31220 - Japanese Philology 1

Learning outcomes

At the end of this course students will be able to deepen the knowledge of Japanese Language and Culture from the ancient era until contemporary times. Moreover, they will be able to manage texts in contemporary Japanese which show the language evolution throughout the time.

Course contents

1. Theoretical foundations
The first part will cover the fundamentals of the discipline with elements of Japanese linguistics. The course will examine the development of the Japanese language, highlighting its characteristics and transformations up to the present day, with a focus on the development and evolution of hiragana and katakana. Particular attention will be paid to writing styles (buntai), showing the differences according to era and literary genre. Access to education and linguistic debates will also be discussed. An overview of manuscript literature and the history of books and bookbinding will also be provided. Manuscripts will be analyzed in both digital format (thanks to the Digital Humanities archives) and physical format (in the classroom).
One lesson will be dedicated to a calligraphy (shodō) workshop in the classroom.

2. Cultural features
Some key concepts of traditional Japanese culture (mono no aware, ukiyo, bushidō) will be explored to highlight how they still play a significant role in the country's cultural production (primarily literature) and collective imagination. Room will be given to the analysis and commentary of selected passages, comparing canonical texts with the cultural heritage in contemporary literary production.

3. Translation seminar
The first two parts of the course will provide the theoretical skills necessary for the translation seminar, which will examine the opening lines of Genji monogatari, reading and analyzing them from a syntactic and grammatical point of view and translating them into Italian.
This will be followed by a comparative analysis of Kamo no Chōmei's An Account of My Hut (1212) and its post-Fukushima reinterpretation by Gen'yū Sōkyū. The aim is to identify similarities and differences in terms of language, style, and content, with particular attention to the target audience.
The syllabus with details of the topics covered and bibliographic references will be available online among the teaching materials at the beginning of the course.

Readings/Bibliography

Theoretical manuals:

Calvetti, Paolo, Pappalardo, Giuseppe, Storia della lingua giapponese (History of the Japanese Language), Milan, Hoepli, 2024.

Tollini, Aldo, Writing in Ancient Japan, Venice, Cafoscarina, 2005.

Other suggestions:

Oliver White, Mai Kataoka, Timon Screech, Global Japanese History and Culture: De-Isolating Japan from Past to Present, London, Routledge, 2026.

Additional critical sources will be discussed in class and made available by the instructor on the Virtuale platform. Similarly, slides and materials for the seminar will be uploaded to Virtuale.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons. Active student participation in class discussion is strongly encouraged.

Assessment methods

Oral examination.

During the test, which will cover the entire course programme, knowledge, supported by a good argumentative ability, of the individual topics addressed will be verified.

The exam will consist of the following questions:
1. A theory question on the history of the language (e.g., hypotheses regarding the origin of the Japanese language; the evolution of hiragana; the evolution of katakana; kirishitanban; the genbun’ichi movement);
2. A question requiring the identification of one of the five binding styles;
3. A question on the cultural studies syllabus (describe one of the following: mono no aware, ukiyō, or bushidō);
4. A question on the Kiritsubo seminar (read and grammatically analyze a sentence, then translate it into Italian);
5. A question on the Hōjōki (comparison of the two versions and the two authors; analysis of the opening passage).

In addition to knowledge of the contents, the expressive properties in terms of mastery of the specific lexicons of the subject will also be evaluated.
The overall knowledge of the topics, together with an excellent ability of critical analysis and mastery in the use of reference sources will be evaluated as excellence; a manual knowledge without solid interpretative support will be evaluated in a positive but not high way. The proven and repeated difficulties to contextualize the sources and answers that are not in-depth or confusing will result in a negative evaluation.

The three parts cannot be splitted into different exams.

Teaching tools

Slides, video, multi-media supports. A series of films related to the texts in this syllabus will be shown and discussed during classes. The list will be published by the beginning of the lessons.
In addition to class lectures, a series of seminars held by national as well as international scholars will be organized, whose active involvement is part of the final exam.

The Powerpoint files used during the course will be available for students on the course website (see 'Teaching material).

Students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or temporary or permanent disabilities: it is recommended that you contact the University office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) and the instructor as soon as possible in order to identify the most effective strategies for attending classes and/or preparing for the examination. Any requests for accommodations must be be submitted at least 15 days before the examination date by sending an email to the instructor and copying disabilita@unibo.it [mailto:disabilita@unibo.it] (in the case of disabilities) or dsa@unibo.it [mailto:dsa@unibo.it] (for students with Specific Learning Disorders).

Office hours

See the website of Veronica De Pieri