Topic: Religious Themes in the Films of Hayao Miyazaki
| Time | Days | Location | Instructor | GER | Credit | OPUS Class Number | Syllabus (Tentative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10:40am-11:30am 6:00pm-8:00pm | MWF M | Candler Library 120 Candler Library 120 | Eric Reinders. | FSEM. | 4 | 3701 | TBA. |
This course will closely examine the animated films of Hayao Miyazaki. We will focus on Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle. We will examine the place of Japanese religions in the films, particularly Buddhism, Shinto, and animism. We will ask what it means to do a “religious reading” of such stories. What kinds of transformations do Miyazaki’s films describe (in their protagonists) or provoke (in their audience)?
Themes include: nature and environmental problems; the idea of Japan as a sacred land; the dichotomy of good and evil; war; nostalgia; utopian traditions and Romanticized visions of Europe; emotional maturity; gender and the shojo phenomenon. We will put Miyazaki’s work in the context of twentieth-century Japanese history. There will be some comparisons to other Japanese anime, to Disney animated films, and to the works of J. R. R. Tolkien.
There will be six film screenings (Mondays 6-8 pm).
Recommended Textbooks, Articles, and Resources
- 2005. Anime: From Akira to Howl¿s Moving Castle. ISBN: 970521.Palgrave Macmillan, Updated edition, 2005. ISBN 1-4039-7052-1
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds, volume 1.
- 2008. Spirited Away. BFI / Palgrave Macmillan
- 1996. Starting Point: 1979-1996. Viz Media
The schedule of courses on O.P.U.S. is the official listing of courses, including days and times they meet and the General Education Requirements they satisfy. Students should use course descriptions as general guidelines. Course requirements, grading details, book lists, and syllabi are subject to change.