STUDY GUIDE FOR MIDTERM EXAM
DIRECTIONS: The exam
is a closed book exam, so do not bring books or notes to class. The exam
will have multiple choice, true/false and essay questions. 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 know the significance of the term (Why am I
having you learn this?).
Uchi/soto, omote/ura, honne/tatemae, ie, kyoiku mama, mamgon, jiritsu,
amae, shitsuke, shakaijin, genkan, gakureiki shakai, juku, yochien, ryootei,
ningenkankei, obento, kami, mikoshi, chokai, matsuri, Suwa no Mikami, Izanami,
Izanagi, Amaterasu Omikami, Tenno Heika, chokai, Susunoo, bushido, yutate-sai,
okunchi, henro
Essay Questions You will be asked to answer One essay which will be chosen from the study
questions below
1. Describe the government defined ideal family pattern
in the Meiji Period and compare that with that of the post-war period.
What are the major problems facing the family today? What doesn’t the
government consider the main reasons for these problems and what solutions
does it offer? How does this affect the lives of men and women?
What are the main criticisms M. White has of government family policy?
2. Discuss the concepts of omote/ura
and uchi/soto defined and explained in
the lectures and by Ishida in the management of daily life situations and
conflict. Provide examples.
3. What conflict did Allison have in meeting the demands of the yochien? How does she look at the interaction
between the kindergarten and the home? What was the difficulty in preparing
the obento? What implications does this have for the children’s future?
4. What conflicts arise in Miyamoto cho around building the new mikoshi and having the matsuri? How
does this help us understand the meaning of group in Japan? How do
the concepts of uchi/soto define the nature of the conflict in the community?
5. Both Nelson and Bestor examine the role of the mikoshi in Japanese neighborhood life.
Discuss the relationship of Shinto shrines to community in modern Japan.
6. The three religious traditions in Japan, Confucianism,
Buddhism and Shinto are said to have accommodated to each other to be accepted
in Japan. Discuss the areas where this accommodation has taken place
and the role of these three traditions in modern Japanese life.
7. John Lie claims that Japan has always been multi-ethnic
what evidence does he use to support this claim? Why is the mono-ethnicity
of Japan proclaimed and how does it relate to government policy?
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