The module will introduce students to a study of national cultures and societies and how they connect with transnational contexts beyond national borders.  Learning activities in the first semester will focus on the national contexts of the chosen languages of study and chart the emergence of these nations either through a historical overview, or a survey of key foundational moments. These will be followed by webinars that introduce students to the study of Modern Languages and a consideration of how the local intersects with the global. The second semester develops this by identifying how languages, cultures and societies both operate on a national level and interconnect according to historical, geographic, economic, political, spatial and cultural conditions. After further webinars outlining this,  learning activities will reflect on how these common themes play out on a national level referencing, for example, the emergence of symbols and traditions designed to foster a sense of national belonging. Seminars will focus on the acquisition of critical and analytical skills through discussions of a range of ‘texts’ which complement the lectures (primary and secondary source materials ranging from articles, statistics and graphs to visual materials including film and manga.

 The range of texts can be amended to reflect materials covered within specific programme  – eg film, photography etc

1. Discuss selected aspects of Japanese culture and society in relation to the evolution of the Japanese nation in a broader transnational context. 
2. Analyse text based and visual course materials.
3. Formulate a coherent, evidence-based argument drawing on relevant secondary literature.
4. Identify, find evaluate and accurately reference reputable sources of information.

The module will be delivered through a range of interactive teaching sessions supplemented by online teaching and learning activities and materials – and may include, where relevant, asynchronous materials such as lecture recordings. Full details on the delivery mode of this module will be available on Learning Central at the start of the academic year – and may be, in part, determined by Welsh Government and Public Health Wales guidance.  

Academic and subject specific skills:

• Be able to articulate a strong sense of evolution of cultures at a national level
• Begin to conceptualise how the national fits with the transnational
• Develop strong inter-cultural awareness
• Develop methodological skills through text-based analysis
• Develop critical thinking and analytical skills
• Develop and demonstrate competency in information literacy

Employability skills

• Be able to produce writing and interpretation which fits the needs of the reader/listener, within and beyond the academic context
• Be able to use ICT effectively
• Group project work

The method(s) of assessing the learning outcomes for this module are set out in the Assessment Table, which also contains the weightings of each assessment component.

Mapping of Assessments to Intended Learning Outcomes:

Assignment 1 assesses ILO 4

Assignment 2 assesses ILOs 2, 4

Assignment 3 assesses ILOs 1, 2, 3, 4

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REASSESSMENT IN THIS MODULE: 

You may be required to resit one or more of the assessments in this module if you fail the module. The Examination Board will advise you which assessments you need to resit during the August resit period. Resit assessments that are not supported by extenuating circumstances will be capped at the pass mark applicable to your programme.

At The school wide transnational levels, students will explore the following topics

• What is the transnational?
• What does it mean to be a modern languages student?
• How to move between the global and the local
• The concept of the nation
• National identity, nation building and concepts of belonging
• Contemporary debates in European and non-European cultures and societies
• Regional and (de)colonial identities within the nation
• Multilingualism, language identities and globalisation

At the national level student will explore:

Semester 1

• Japan’s Asian heritage
• Creating a distinctive Japanese identity
• Rise of the warrior
• Japan’s era of peace
• The Meiji transformation
• The birth of the Japanese empire
• Japan at war
• The Allied Occupation of Japan

Semester 2

• Symbolising the nation
• Borders and empire
• Ethnic identities in Japan
• Radicalism and protest
• Mass media and propaganda
• War memory in contemporary Japan
• Translation and the Japanese language