How to Destroy and Rebuild My Faith in Humanity in Five Hours or Less

Japanese university courses are generally conducted on the following pattern: the professor assigns a student to outline each week's reading and recite said outline to the class. This means that the amount of work turned into to the professor is pretty low compared to the West; conversely, said presentation pretty much determines at least 50% of one's grade, since the professor has precious little else by which to evaluate one's performance.

Well, I was meant to give a presentation for one of my classes this coming Monday, but the weeklong cancellation in the face of the dreaded Swine Flu means the semester's schedule has been pushed back a week. Thus, my presentation is now on the 15^th. That's kind of a problem since I'll be in Seoul that day...for a wedding, no less, which it's not something I can just back out of.( And here my troubles begin. )

Luckily, Ando-sensei is ( infinitely more sensible than the college office. )

That will be all.

And to round out the last entry with some academic nerdiness...

...here's a meme created by and ganked from the lovely theosakakoneko:

100 Books for Understanding Contemporary Japan

So, The Nippon Foundation has assembled a team of scholars and produced a list of 100 Books for Understanding Contemporary Japan, which is linked here. (PS: Would it have killed them to list the authors while putting in those obnoxious links to the Amazon "rewards" program?) I've bolded the one's I've read cover-to-cover, underlined the ones I haven't yet completed, and italicised the ones I own but haven't started yet.

( Read more... )

I was really surprised to find that Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, Embracing Defeat, and Japan's Reluctant Realism didn't make the list.

That will be all.