ATS2648 Contemporary Japan
Faculty of Arts
ATS2648 Contemporary Japan is a level 2, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2025 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2025
- Semester 1
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 3 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
Reviews
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Requisites
Before ATS2648
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After ATS2648
No unit lists ATS2648 as a prerequisite in the 2025 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Prohibition: ATS3648
Overview
This unit explores the dynamics of continuity and change in the society, culture and politics of Japan today. After surveying important aspects of contemporary Japan such as employment, education, domestic life and consumer culture in historical perspective, the unit examines selected issues which are currently being debated in the Japanese media and political arena. You will be introduced to the key theoretical approaches and analytical tools employed in the study of contemporary Japan. No knowledge of the Japanese language is required, but students also studying Japanese will be given opportunities to use and extend their language skills in optional assessment tasks and class activities.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Exercise/sExercise35%
- EssayWritten30%
- Presentation35%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
identify the key institutions and issues in contemporary Japan, and the historical context for their development;
- 2
demonstrate a critical understanding of the concepts and terms used to describe and discuss contemporary Japanese society and culture beyond Japan;
- 3
apply a range of disciplinary approaches to analyse major issues and debates in contemporary Japan;
- 4
reflect on the relevance of Japanese experiences of social change to other national and individual circumstances;
- 5
explore how contemporary Japanese social and cultural phenomena are reflected in, and shaped by, Japanese language use;
- 6
read critically and engage with existing research on Japan;
- 7
(For students of the Japanese language only:) utilize Japanese language skills in academic research and discussion of contemporary issues in Japan, as appropriate to proficiency level.
Workload and teaching
- Lectures12 hours
- Tutorials24 hours
- Teaching approachResearch activities
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Teaching approachEnquiry-based learning
- Teaching approachOnline learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
Students will be required to undertake research, using a range of academic literature and primary sources, in group projects and an independent task leading to submission of a short research essay.
Students are expected to be active participants in a learning community. Through class debates, group work and individual projects, students will be encouraged to not only to take responsibility for their learning process but also to think creatively and critically the purposes behind it.
In in-class and online activities, students will be presented with a variety of scenarios and issues and encouraged to formulate questions and investigate them independently.
Students will engage with a variety of online materials provided through the unit Moodle site. They will be required to complete certain tasks prior to attending class each week: typically, these will involve reading texts and watching introductory videos where the lecturer introduces the weekly topic.
Where it fits
ATS2648 is part of 5 areas of study in the 2025 handbook.
- ANTHROPL11Level 2 and 3 elective unitsAnthropologyNo reviews yet
- GLOBASIA01Level 2 and 3 elective unitsGlobal AsiaNo reviews yet
- GLOBASIA02Level 2 and 3 unitsGlobal AsiaNo reviews yet
- JAPANESE05Level 2 and 3 elective unitsJapanese studiesNo reviews yet
- JAPANESE06Level 2 and 3 elective unitsJapanese studiesNo reviews yet
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Associate Professor Jeremy Breaden
- Unit Coordinators
- Associate Professor Jeremy Breaden
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ATS2648?
ATS2648 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ATS2648 offered?
In 2025, ATS2648 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton.
How much work is ATS2648?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ATS2648 have an exam?
No. ATS2648 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include ATS2648?
ATS2648 is part of Anthropology, Global Asia and Japanese studies.