Dec 26, 2024  
Course Catalog 2023-2024 
    
Course Catalog 2023-2024 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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EAST 133 - Haunted Archipelago: Ghosts, Spirits, and the Occult in Japanese Religion

FC ARHU CD
4 credits
Plagued by vengeful spirits, pursued by demon hordes, and possessed by foxes - such were the experiences of many throughout Japanese history. This course explores the diversity of otherworldly encounters and religious responses to them in Japan from ancient times until today. Readings include popular tales, illustrated scrolls, ritual texts, doctor’s notes, Jesuit accounts, and gothic short stories. We also consider the late 19th century emergence of modern academic disciplines meant to defang the weird (minzokugaku, psychiatry, monsterology) against a changing technological landscape of - as rumor had it - electric lines fueled by human oil, hospitals staffed with vampiric physicians, and ghost trains.

This course is appropriate for new students.
This course is cross-listed with RELG-233



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