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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