Cultural Diversity in Japan - Quiz 1 Study Cards

FDOC

First Day of Class

Keiko Nishimura

Instructor of Cultural Diversity in Japan and Beyond, studies cultural studies (of technology), popular culture, Japan studies

Current Research Focus (Keiko Nishimura)

Representations of robots/AI & robotics/AI development; “Death” of robots, platform urbanization

Perusall

Online platform for course readings and discussions. Sign-up link: https://app.perusall.com/join/nishimura-x7qbn

ChatGPT usage in assignments (Student responses)

87.3% Yes, 12.7% No

Assignments where students want ChatGPT's help

Improving writing style/tone, grammar, spell check; brainstorming for (long) essays, source suggestions, structuring, planning; when assignment range is big, vague, unclear; when the assignment is straightforward, simple; unfamiliar topics; fact-based writing; dense reading; second language-related; Math, arithmetic, programming, coding; tedious assignments

Assignments where students don't need/want ChatGPT's help

Open-ended questions, discussions asking for opinions/experiences; synthesis of complex ideas; collaborative assignments; creative assignments; shorter assignments; interesting assignments; specific topic assignments; presentation, research papers, textbook-based exams, language/statistics/math classes

Discussion on 'difference'

Exploration of how we are 'different,' how we are 'similar,' and what it means to argue we are 'the same.' Also, discussion of what happens when we find each other 'different.'

Nacirema

A North American group with a highly developed market economy and a focus on ritual activity related to the human body.

Notgnihsaw

The Nacirema's culture hero, known for feats of strength.

Shrine

A household location devoted to rituals concerning the body's appearance and health.

Charm-box

A container within the shrine holding magical potions and charms.

Holy-mouth-men

Specialists the Nacirema consult due to their horror of the mouth, performing rituals to maintain oral health and social relationships.

Latipso

The temple where medicine men perform elaborate ceremonies to treat very sick patients.

Vestal Maidens

A permanent group who assist in latipso ceremonies.

Listener

A witch-doctor who exorcises devils from the heads of bewitched people by listening to their troubles and fears.

Logistics

An explanation of the Writing Center and updated course policies including transparency on genAI use under Writing Guidelines.

Assignments Motivating Independent Work

Assignments where students feel confident without using ChatGPT include open-ended questions, synthesis of complex ideas, collaborative assignments, creative assignments, shorter assignments, interesting assignments, and specific topic assignments.

Assignments Prompting ChatGPT Use

Assignments where students are more inclined to use ChatGPT include those that improve writing style/tone/grammar, long essays (brainstorming, structuring), assignments with a vague/unclear range, straightforward assignments, unfamiliar topics, fact-based writing, dense readings, second language-related tasks, math/programming, and tedious/low-gain tasks.

Types of Learning Assessments

Open book exams, closed book exams, in-class quizzes, take-home exams, online quizzes, worksheets, response sheets, reports, papers and presentations.

Nacirema Article

Article discussing the rituals of the Nacirema people.

Private Mouth-Rite

A ritual involving inserting hog hairs into the mouth.

Holy-Mouth-Man

A specialist who supervises the private mouth-rite.

Latipso

A temple where the sick go (hospital).

Vestal Maidens

Nurses at the latipso.

Listeners

Psychiatrists.

Notgnihsaw

Washington.

Cultural Studies

Cultural studies refuses to reduce human life or power to one dimension and aims to hold onto the complexity of human reality.

Key Questions

How did X come to be? How do people make sense of X? What is going on? Whose perspective do I not have?

Construction

The making/building of something.

Social Construction

Humans create ideas about what is real/true/normal that construct the social world.

Normal as a Social Construction

The ideas that we create about what is real, true, and normal.

Homogeneous

Describes a population that is fundamentally alike or uniform, particularly in terms of ethnicity.

Ainu

Indigenous people of Japan, primarily inhabiting Hokkaido and parts of the Russian Far East.

Ryukyu Kingdom

A historical realm located in the Ryukyu Islands, which was influenced by Chinese culture and later annexed by Japan.

Assimilation

The process by which individuals or groups from one culture adopt the customs and attitudes of another culture.

Nihonjin

The term used to refer to Japanese citizens or people, often associated with ethnic identity.

Bunmei

A Japanese term for civilization that emphasizes progress and material wealth, contrasting with the earlier Chinese concept of ka.

Ka-i model

A Chinese worldview that represents civilization at the center and gradually increasing degrees of barbarism in surrounding areas.

Boundary

A line that marks the limits of an area; in the context of nation-states, it defines territorial and political limits.

Ethnic group

A group of people who share common cultural characteristics, such as language, religion, traditions, and ancestry.

Prehistory

The period of time before written records; often used to describe the history and cultures of societies that did not leave written documentation.

Cohesive national fabric

A metaphor for the unity and shared identity of a nation, often questioned through historical analysis.

Backwards

Used in this context to describe societies perceived as less developed or less modern when compared to other cultures or nations.

Microstates

Very small sovereign states, often overlooked in historical narratives.

Moat

A deep, wide ditch surrounding a castle or fortification, often filled with water; metaphorically used to describe Japan's geographic and cultural isolation.

Frontier

The boundary or border of a settled area, often associated with interaction and conflict between different cultures.

Historical progress

The idea that societies evolve or advance over time in a linear fashion, often used to justify cultural dominance.

Wajin

Term used in Ainu to refer to the Japanese people, specifically those integrated into Japanese social and political systems.

Civilizing mission

A term used to describe the efforts of countries, especially in the Meiji period, to 'civilize' perceived 'backward' societies.

Taxonomy of difference

A classification system that emphasizes the differences between groups, often leading to hierarchical social structures.

Cultural exchange

The process by which different cultures share ideas, traditions, and practices, often enhancing mutual understanding.

Forced assimilation

The process by which individuals of one cultural group are compelled to adopt the customs of another, often against their will.

Indigenous culture

The traditional culture of a native group of people, often threatened by external influences.

Social standardization

The process of establishing uniform norms and practices across diverse groups, often imposed by authority.

Periphery

The edges or outskirts of a group's social, political, or cultural sphere, often marginalized in historical narratives.

Social order

The structured arrangement of social practices and interactions within a society.

Cultural identity

The identity or feeling of belonging to a group defined by culture, language, and traditions.

Okinawa Prefecture

The modern administrative region that was once the Ryukyu Kingdom, now integrated into Japan.

Racial Profiling

The practice by law enforcement of targeting individuals based on their race or ethnicity rather than on individual suspicion.

Natural Persons

Individuals considered under the law as human beings with rights.

Kokumin

Japanese term for 'citizens' or 'nationals', often used in legal contexts.

Social Construction

The idea that our understanding of reality is created and upheld by social processes and interactions.

Cultural Identity

The feeling of belonging to a group that shares the same culture, characterized by shared values, norms, and practices.

Ainu

An Indigenous people of Japan, primarily from Hokkaido, known for their distinct language and cultural practices.

Meiji Era

Period in Japan (1868-1912) characterized by rapid modernization and westernization, transforming Japan into a centralized state.

Temporal Identification

Identification of otherness based on time, suggesting that some groups or cultures are seen as 'backward' compared to others.

Geographical Identification

Identification of otherness based on geographic distance from the cultural 'center', often linking distance to foreignness.

Frontier

A term to describe zones of interaction and the boundary between different domains, often redefined through history.