DIRECTIONS: The exam is a closed book exam, so do not bring books or notes to class. There will be multiple choice, true/false and essay questions.  One of the study questions below will be asked on the exam. You will have the whole class period to answer them.

Vocabulary.  You should know the meaning of the following terms.  Be able to explain them in English, give an example and the significance of the term (Why am I having you learn this?).

Nihonjinron, fumie, jinshu, bunmei, yuryokusha, bunmei, jinshu, mimaiken, hoshokin, ikki, ryosai kenbo, shokuba no hana, Fudo, ekkon-tekireiki, kokutai, kosei, minzoku, kokka, sakoku, kaikoku, dekasegi, miizushobai, kozoku, kazoku, shizoku, heimin, shin-heimin (burakumin), mai homushugi, sabetsu, nihonjinron, kyuuda toosoo, iegara, kekkon kanbatsu, nakodo, pro nakodo, hinoeuma, yuinokin, miai.

Essay: 

1. Discuss the development of the concept of race (jinshu) in modern Japan and contrast it with the definition of culture (bunmei).  Why does Japan want itself as racially/ ethnically pure? Has this been the case in the past?  What are John Lie’s main ideas about Japanese identity?  How do concepts of race relate to definitions of family?

2. What is the difference between arranged marriages and love marriages in Japan?  What are the different types of nakodo and how do they function?  What are the advantages of using a nakodo?  What characteristics are considered when selecting a marriage partner?

3. Discuss the effects of business hiring practices on the educational system of Japan.

4. Discuss the ways in which social definitions of family membership, treaties and immigration laws have been used to control the Koreans in Japan.

5. According to Chin Sung Chung, the issue of the comfort women did not become public until 50 years after the defeat of the Japanese.  What factors suppressed recognition of the problem? Has the Japanese government accepted responsibility for the problem? How were women recruited?  How were they treated and what happened to them at the end of the war?  What are the current efforts being made on their behalf? 

6. What is the source of the Buraku community?  What are the justifications given for their exclusion from Japanese social life?  How did the Buraku Liberation Leagues’s kyuuda toosoo tactics differ from the approaches of other groups to make social change?  What is the current situation for the community as discussed in the Lie’s book?
 
7. Discuss the socialization to Japanese values and behavior in terms of either learning the traditional arts or the status of women.

8. Although there have been periods of change and conflict, Japanese society has been depicted as an harmonious society. Discuss group conflict in Japan in terms of location (where conflict is likely to arise) and management (ways to avoid or ameliorate conflict) between distinct groups in Japanese society.

Return to homepage