Dr. Joseph Sorenson
JPN 10: Masterpieces of Japanese Literature
I absolutely love teaching for UHP because I can ask bigger questions and can always stimulate the students into lively discussions that just aren't possible in larger classes with less engaged students. In my "Masterpieces of Japanese Literature" class, I ask the class, "What is literature?" "What defines a masterpiece?" and "How is a canon formed?" I also cover some basic issues in translation studies, which I think the students appreciate. Since the course covers a wide historical swath, I ask at various junctures, "What are the characteristics of a 'classical' society?" "What does 'medieval' mean?" and "What defines the 'early modern' and what is modernity?" While the students learn about certain Japanese authors, moments in Japanese history, and some distinctly Japanese literary concepts, it's my hope that they come away with a broader understanding of literary and cultural history in general that they can apply to other realms of knowledge they explore during their undergraduate careers at UC Davis.
Students say:
"I really enjoyed going more into depth about Japanese culture and society in this class. I was surprised to see that I was very intrigued by some of the readings that we were given in this class. The instructor did well to give students an opportunity extra credit to do well in the class as well as give students an opportunity to talk about how to get their grade back up after the midterm."
"The most valuable part to me is the small class size and class participation. Also, the professor wants us all to do well. After seeing some scores on our midterm, he worked with students personally to increase their grades."
"It was very clear to me since the start of the quarter that the instructor had a very keen interest in this topic and his explanations were always driven by enthusiasm for Japanese literature."