Geisha are also famous the world over as an emblem of certain aspects of Japanese culture that are imagined as erotic and exotic.  In 1997, Arthur Golden's novel Memoirs of a Geisha became an international best-seller, selling over 120 million copies.  In December 2005 at the end of this course, the movie version of this novel will make its debut. Once again, there will be many questions about the geisha. How has her reputation changed over time and across international borders? What is life like for today's geisha and how is she different from other Japanese women today and geisha of the past?

In this course, we will consider these questions by studying the geisha in changing historical contexts that teach us about Japan and Japan's shifting place in international politics. We will look at the geisha as a performer, learning about her practice of traditional dance, music, and other arts, as well as her past connections to the courtesans of the Edo pleasure quarters.  We also discuss the use of the term geisha in the history of prostitution.  We will think about the geisha, too, as a subject of Kabuki plays, Ukiyo-e prints, postcards, Impressionist paintings, rock star fashion, and movies. Importantly, we also see the geisha as a contemporary business woman and artist. Our study will prompt us to ask broad questions about art, gender, and politics, and in the process of asking these questions we will discover that definitions of the geisha change according to the history, fiction, fantasies--and controversies-- we examine.
 

The film version of Memoirs of a Geisha will surely be seen by millions around the globe. As you will discover, this film is the latest addition to a long history of English-language films, plays, travelogues and novels featuring geisha, many of which date back to the late 19th century.  Investigating how geisha have been viewed outside Japan and especially in the U.S. can tell us a lot about American popular culture and American attitudes toward women, sexuality, and romance.  The film, which will feature famous Chinese female stars in the lead roles, also prompts questions about opportunities for Asian actors and debates over race, power and representation--another topic most relevant to geisha lore outside Japan.

In order to create your web-book on geisha lore, you will read and do research on one example from this literature; you can choose a novel, play, film, paintings, travelogue, for example, from a long list of suggested works.  In our class work, we will see and discuss the films together as well as discuss in class three major works related to the American love of geisha: Madame Butterfly, Sayonara, and Memoirs of a Geisha.  You will write a short research paper in which you summarize and analyze the work you read and consider the literary and historical context which led to its appeal.  You'll learn how to do this over the course of the class so don't worry if this seems like a big task right now.

You will also have the chance to connect your research with your classmates' work. Students will divide into groups according to the historical era of their research projects--a 19th century group, an early 20th century group, a 1930s-1940s group, 1950s-1960s group, a late 20th century group.  Each group will develop a chronology of events that can be seen as relevant background to the portraits of geisha in their selected readings.  The group will also develop a class presentation that describes this background, the individual works read, and the basic ideas about geisha that emerge. 

This independent and group research will result in the production of a web-book, a site that will include short versions of your papers, the timelines you create, and your group's ideas about how geisha images reflect the concerns of particular historical moments. In the process of making this web-book, we will also learn about copyright laws and web design.
 

I am graduate of UC Davis (Dramatic Art) and UCLA (East Asian Languages and Cultures) and have been a Tar Heel since 1994, teaching in the Department of Asian Studies.  In the summers of 2003 and 2005, I accompanied UNC-CH students to Kyoto, where I taught a course in Japanese theater. This summer some of us attended a music rehearsal and dance performance by maiko and geisha in Kyoto--the highlight of the trip for me.

Most days you can find me in my office on the 4th floor of the Alumni Building (next to Graham Memorial). You are welcome to drop in anytime I'm free though it is best to make an appointment for longer consultations. I also will be in Ehringhaus before and after the geisha seminar and would enjoy talking with you then.

• This course offers an excellent introduction to college-level research skills.  You will learn how to design a research project, to use critical literature, to work with the assistance of UNC librarians and the resources of Davis Library.  You will also learn how to turn your ideas into a polished paper, and how to present your research effectively to an audience. You will do lots of work, and lots of different kinds of work for this class, and as a result, you will be prepared to further your studies in succeeding classes at Carolina.  If this seems daunting, remember that help is always available, not only from the instructor but from several campus resources such as the Writing Center.
• You will also gain experience in using diverse sources in order to explore a single topic from many perspectives. 
• You will learn more about having fun while you study and learn.  Reading new books, discovering your own source of geisha lore, informal chats before class and lively class discussions are all part of what makes this study fun.
• You will learn about popular culture itself, especially as it has centered on the geisha in Japan and the U.S.
• No background knowledge of Japan or literary studies is required.

• Liza Dalby. Geisha. University of California Press, 1998.
• Arthur Golden. Memoirs of a Geisha.Vintage Books, 1999.
• Masuda Sayo. G.G. Rowley, trans.  Autobiography of a Geisha. NY: Columbia University Press, 2003. 
• James Michener. Sayonara. Fawcett Books, rpt. 1990.

• Be on time for class.  If there is any reason you need to leave the class early, inform the instructor.
• Turn off cell phones before you enter the classroom.
• All written work must be typed and handed in during class on the due date. Printing glitches, computer crashes occur--save time for the unexpected.
• No work should be turned in via email unless the instructor requests you to do so.
• When sending email to the instructor, put your name in the subject line, ex: June Tanaka: Question Re: Test.  This helps ensure that your message will be read and answered.

• Everyone is allowed one absence.  This covers illness, family emergency, and any other event that might unexpectedly come up, and any other personal time you need to take.  Please notify the instructor by phone or email if you cannot attend class. Unless there is a medical emergency, two or more absences will count against your grade.
• To get attendance credit, you must be present during the entire class meeting. 
• Every student must attend two campus events this semester related to Asian Studies and/or Women's Studies.  These can include lectures, performances, and films.  Get the event organizer's signature at the end of the event.  Announcements about upcoming events will be made on our class listserv. Check fliers on campus, too. One of these event visits must be completed before Fall Break. A one-page, typed summary of the event and reaction to it should be handed in no later than one week after attending the event.
• Four consecutive unexcused absences constitutes an automatic F in the course and would disqualify the student from further seminar attendance. Please let the instructor know if anything comes up in your personal life that makes your college work overwhelming.  There are lots of sources of help at UNC-CH and I can aid you in finding them.

• The tutorial is a 60-minute session with two or three of your classmates and the instructor. Students prepare a short writing assignment for the tutorial.
• The tutorial is designed to give you a chance to discuss your readings and research project with a small audience. This gives us time to go into more depth in discussion that we can in the classroom.
• Your tutorials will be graded upon your knowledge of the readings and on your ability to go further with the issues raised in class in both your discussion and your writing. 
• Students generally like the tutorial format.

• Exams serve a useful purpose in pushing us to organize material and commit it to memory. In the process of doing this, we develop new ideas about the topic.  The in-class midterm will occur midway through the course.  You will be given study guidelines one week before the exam.

• The group presentation pulls together the different readings in your group, situates them in a literary and historical context, and shares this with the class.
• Possible topics.
• Working together with your group members to plan this presentation will push you to think about the broad themes and the details that link your readings together.
• Your group will have an entire class period to give your presentation; all members should play an equal part in the project.
• Presentations need to be well-organized, show a good use of time, be visually interesting, and employ PowerPoint slides.  Rehearse!

• The eight-page research paper provides you the opportunity to investigate and write about one instance of "geisha lore abroad." You may choose to research and discuss a novel, a travelogue, a film, a play, postcards or paintings.  You will write a short description of your paper--an abstract--for the web-book. We will discuss this project in detail in class.

• The final tutorial calls for you to synthesize what you have learned over the entire course.  Major questions will be posted on the course website by the last class.  You are encouraged to review for the oral exam by studying in small groups.  We will schedule the final tutorials shortly after Fall Break so that you can plan for your finals and winter break well in advance.