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Course Description

     This course is an encounter with the landscape of Japan, religious buildings and environments in particular. The gardens, shrines, and temples of Japan are renowned for their aesthetic beauty and spiritual significance. This course studies the history, aesthetics, principles of design, and religious foundation of the building and landscape architecture of Japan.

     The study of gardens is emphasized, and types of garden are presented and discussed. Consideration is given to residential courtyard and tearoom gardens. Shrine and temple buildings are studied as architectured space, a structural component of gardens. Emphasis is placed on study of Zen Buddhist temple buildings and gardens, a focus of the Instructor's research. We consider the influence of Indian and Chinese Buddhism, Chinese Taoism, and Japanese Shintoism on the physical forms and various meaning of the religious landscape of Japan.

Texts

• A course pack of required readings (at Student Stores, ).
• A Japanese Touch for your Garden (at Student Stores).

     Kyoshi Seike, Masanobu Kudo, and David H. Engel.  Tokyo and New York: Kodansha.
Wind and Stone, by Masaaki Tachihara
• Japanese Gardens (Suggested, not required, reference book at Student Stories),
•     by Gunter Nitsche.  Koln: Benedikt Taschen.

Course Format

     The purpose of this course is to provide you an opportunity for you to experience salient aspects of the religious landscape of Japan. This course combines presentations by the Instructor, accompanied by photographic slides, as well as research contributions of students to our studies. Classroom sessions combine discussions of photographic slides, presentation of student in-class projects, and discussion of the required readings.

Goals, Course Requirements, and Examinations

Student requirements flow from the goals of the course:

1. students will gain factual information and knowledge of the varied forms, functions, and meanings of the shrines, temples and gardens of Japan.  As well, students ought to demonstrate mastery of basic vocabulary necessary to the academic study of this subject.

 
2. students will be able to visually recognize and identify specific gardens, shrines, and temples studied.

 
3. students will develop ability to interpret building and landscape architecture.  Students will develop the ability to discuss aspects of Japanese-inspired religious architecture and landscapes with respect to the theories, methods, and interpretive points of view presented in class and studied in the assigned readings.

Examinations:

     To this end, there are three requirements to this course: (3) in-class quizzes, (1) final examination, and (3) and out-of-class writing assignments:

1. In-class quizzes. There are three in-class quizzes. The quizzes test your ability to identify, comment upon and interpret, and compare images presented in your readings and on photographic slides.

     For these in-class quizzes, you will be presented with 5-10 slides to identify and discuss, on 'scantron' sheets, with short-answer and multiple-choice questions. Slides chosen will be about 50% from your readings and 50% from any other slides shown in class. If you are presented with two slides for one question, you are expected to compare and contrast features presented in each slide. You might also be presented with photographic slides you have not seen, to which you will be expected to interpret based on your class studies.  Slides shown in class and slides of illustrations in your readings are available for your study on the course web-page.
 
2. Out-of-class Writing. 10 pages of essay writing are required in this course. A week or so before the in-class examination you will be handed several questions, serving as a guide to organizing your readings and class lecture notes. You will choose one question on which to write. You will hand in your essay on the day of the in-class portion of the examination. Take-home essays are to be from 5 pages in length (double-spaced). Your essay ought to (1) display your ability to define, illustrate, and discuss aspects of the gardens, shrines, and temples discussed and (2) be well conceived, organized, and written. As the essay is open-book, grading emphasizes the quality of interpretations within the essay rather than regurgitation of factual material. Your Instructor encourages the practice of penmanship, and legible hand-written essays are encouraged. If computer generated, make certain that the printer produces clear copy. Learn to use computers; especially Word, the Microsoft photo editor, and perhaps Photoshop. Essays ought to be a combination of text and image, and your text ought to be build around the interpretation and discussion of specific images.

 
3. Final examination. The final examination is composed of a section (5-10 slides) on course material after the last quiz and a section (5-10) slides and review questions on material basic to the course as a whole. Questions on the final examination are a combination of multiple-choice and short-answer.

Oral Reports on Readings:

     There will be periodic assignments to individuals and small groups requiring in-class oral presentations on assigned readings and slides.
 
 

Participation

     Contributions to the class will be noted. Participation and contribution to the work of the class is important.

Grading

Your final course grade will comprise:

Performance on examinations (90% of final grade)

• in-class slide/essay quizzes (30%)
• out-of-class essays (25%)
• final examination (25%)

Participation in class sessions (10% of final grade)

• oral reports
• contribution to discussions

You are encouraged to discuss with the Instructor what grade you have "going into" the final. The Instructor follows guidelines for grading established by the College of Arts and Sciences. The guidelines assume the following for each letter grade:

A. "Highest level of attainment." Outstanding, exceptional work. All of the attributes of B work, with demonstration of significant effort and original thought in written and spoken work. Displayed ability to synthesize as well as analyze.

B. "High level of attainment." A grade of B is will not be given for "average" work. Here, the student demonstrates originality in writing and speaking, near errorless command of factual material, exhibits interest in and responsibility toward the material studied as evidenced by attendance and performance on examinations, and contributions regularly to the class. Ability to relate class material to other subject areas and to prior knowledge.

C. "Adequate level of attainment." Interpreted as the completion of all course material, done reasonably well. Command of factual material, yet, does not exhibit above-average effort toward engagement with the material.

D. "Minimal passing level of attainment." Apparent, obvious deficiencies in the above.

F. "Unacceptable performance." Obvious deficiencies in the above.

Graduate Students

H - "Clear excellence"
P - "Entirely satisfactory"
L - "Low passing"
F - "Failed"