Monthly Archives: April 2024

Professor Shige (CJ) Suzuki gave a talk titled “Highlighting the Media-Specificity of Manga in Print Culture and Beyond” at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) on Thursday, April 18th, 2024.

Abstract:
In the past eighty years, manga has grown into a significant economic and cultural force in Japan and beyond. During the last couple of decades, social and cultural institutions have reevaluated the medium, giving it increasing recognition as a subject for university courses and academic research. As the consumption of Japanese manga continues to expand beyond Japan, manga has acquired new meanings distinct from those developed in its originating contexts.

One objective of this lecture is to reframe manga as a unique visual storytelling medium by highlighting its medium-specific nature, in terms of both cognitive and affective communication, through a comparative lens, contrasting it with film, painting, and other narrative art forms. Another objective is to discuss the newly emerged meanings and cultural functions the medium has acquired for a specific group of readers outside Japan, aiming to shed light on the appeal of manga beyond Japan. In the final part of the lecture, as per requests, I intend to briefly outline how new and alternative voices in manga emerge in the participatory cultural domains of Japan’s contemporary cultural landscape.

We are delighted to announce the launch of the Minor in “Japanese Studies”!

Minor in “Japanese Studies” (JPS)
The Japanese Program will launch a new “Minor in Japanese Studies” (JPS) from June 1st, 2024. This minor allows students to delve deeper into Japanese culture, society, history. Students can fulfill the minor requirements by taking a variety of Japanese Studies-related courses, including Japanese literature, film, popular culture, history, philosophy, media, arts, and more. All Japanese Studies courses (JPS-courses) are conducted in English. Each course might have its prerequisites; please check the course descriptions on CUNYFirst for details.

*See the official Bulletin
https://weissman.baruch.cuny.edu/weissman-academic-departments/majors-minors/japanese-studies-minor/

To meet the requirements for the Japanese Studies (JPS) minor, you are required to take three courses, including the mandatory capstone courses. Please note that not all courses are offered every semester. For further information, please consult CUNYFirst.

Japanese Studies Minor Capstone Courses: Students are required to take ONE of the following capstone courses. 
*JPS/AAS 4950 Language, Literature, and Culture of Japan (3 credits)
*JPS/AAS 4906 Critical Approaches to Japanese Popular Culture (3 credits)
*JPS/AAS/FML 4907 Film and Moving Image Culture in Japan (3 credits)

Japanese Studies Electives: Take two courses from below.
*JPS/AAS 4905 Language, Literature, and Culture of Japan (3 credits)
*JPS/AAS 4906 Critical Approaches to Japanese Popular Culture (3 credits)
*JPS/AAS/FLM 4907 Film and Moving Image Culture in Japan (3 credits)
AAS 4900 Critical Issues in Asian and Asian American Studies
HIS/AAS 3345 Asian American History
HIS/AAS 3853 The Emergence of Modern Japan
PHI 3180/AAS 3180 Philosophies from Japan
POL/AAS 3346 The Rise of Asia in World Affairs

With the introduction of “Japanese Studies Minor,” the requirements of existing “Japanese Minor” will change. Please read the following carefully.

*See the official Bulletin
https://weissman.baruch.cuny.edu/weissman-academic-departments/majors-minors/japanese/

Minor in “Japanese” (JPN)
The “Minor in Japanese Studies” is a new addition to the existing “Minor in Japanese” (JPN) in the Japanese program. Effective June 10th, 2024, students pursuing a minor in Japanese are required to take the following Japanese language courses (JPN). A typical pattern of fulfilling the minor requirement: After completing JPN1001 and JPN1002, you need to take JPN3001, JPN3002, and one capstone course (JPN400x).

It is important to note that Japanese language courses must be taken sequentially, meaning that students cannot enroll in more than one Japanese language course (JPN-course) per semester. Furthermore, students cannot skip any levels; for instance, upon completing JPN3001, the subsequent course is JPN3002, and upon completing JPN3002, the following course is a JPN400X-level course.

If you possess prior knowledge of Japanese or have completed Japanese courses at high school or other institutions, please contact the coordinator of the Japanese program to undergo an assessment. This assessment will determine your proficiency level and allow you to start from JPN1002 or above. If there is no or little knowledge of Japanese, register for JPN1001.

Japanese Minor Capstone Courses:
Students are required to take ONE of the following capstone courses: 

*JPN4000 Advanced Japanese Oral and Written Communication (3 credits)
*JPN4003 Japanese Contemporary Japanese Literature, Film, and Culture (3 credits)
*JPN4005 Advanced Japanese: Learning through Content and Multimedia (3 credits)
*JPN4501 Japanese for Global Market (3 credits)

Intermediate Japanese Courses:
Students are required to take TWO of the following capstone courses: 
JPN3001 Intensive Intermediate Japanese I (4 credits)
JPN3002 Intensive Intermediate Japanese II (4 credits)

Join us for the event, featuring artist, writer, and translator Tana Oshima!

Tana Oshima is a Japanese-Spanish writer, literary translator and visual artist exploring the field of comics. She has self-published eight mini-comics, and has translated to Spanish female novelists from Japan, such as Yuko Tsushima, Hiroko Oyamada, and Yu Miri. She is based in New York.

The event is organized by the Sidney Harman Writer-in-Residence Program.
https://weissman.baruch.cuny.edu/arts-and-culture-at-weissman/the-sidney-harman-writer-in-residence-program/

Two Baruch alumni from The Consulate General of Japan in New York visited Baruch College in March. They spoke about their post-graduation experiences and career paths in US-Japan relations with Japanese language students at Professor Miho Fujimori’s class.

Talk Title: “Let’s make your story with Baruch!”

Speaker: Mr. Koichi Ito, Chief Representative of the Ministry of Finance at the Consulate General of Japan in New York

Mr. Koichi Ito is an alumnus of Baruch College, having obtained a Master’s Degree in Taxation in 2011. He currently serves as the Chief Representative of the Ministry of Finance at the Consulate-General of Japan in New York. He has worked for various government offices, such as the Embassy of Japan in Washington D.C., fostering bilateral economic relations, the Ministry of Finance in Japan, where he designed the foreign ministry’s budget, modified corporate tax, and introduced a new tax for tourism policies, and the Prime Minister’s Office, managing a portfolio of domestic and political issues. He kindly offered the students a special talk on his life milestones, discussing memories from his student days, career path, missions, and more. Through his life journey, the students learned a mindset to thrive in a diverse environment on a global scale, leveraging professional skills.

We were also fortunate to have Ms. Lelani Pacific-Jack join us for a talk. She currently serves as a Researcher at the Consulate General of Japan in New York. During her final year at Baruch College, Lelani held the position of president at the Baruch Japan Club. Additionally, she was recognized as a recipient of the prestigious Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission (JUSFC) grant!
https://newscenter.baruch.cuny.edu/news/baruch-graduate-lelani-pacific-jack-wins-grant-to-japan/

This event was organized by all the students in JPN1001 PMWA, with leadership from Ms. Samaria Wilson, a freshman majoring in Entrepreneurship, and Mr. Daniel San, a senior majoring in Economics.

Thank you for creating a wonderful opportunity for our students!