ASAM 179I AA -TransPacific Japan: Love & Money /SpecialTopics:Asian-AmerStudies

Institution: Pitzer College

Description:

This course is a broad introduction to contemporary Japanese economy and culture and its diaspora, focused on the themes of love (interpersonal relationships) and money (economy), using the interdisciplinary lenses of Asian American Studies, Economics and Psychology. We will examine historical phases of ‘love’ and ‘money’ beginning with the high rates of growth in the post WWII experience. We will discuss the character of Japanese economic policy making as its effect on the behavior of Japanese institutions, labor forces, families, individuals and their relations with others. Topics will include macroeconomic growth, monetary and fiscal policies, international trade, the role of cultural values, familial piety and power relations. We will end with a discussion of Japan’s recent economic conditions and indices of well-being in Japan and across the Japanese diaspora.