Integrative NarRative
In reflection of my various experiences at CSUMB; language and culture classes, service learning and study abroad to Japan as well as returning to complete capstone, the reason I originally chose to be a Japanese Language and Culture major at CSUMB all comes back to me full circle: I wanted to explore, academically and with guidance, the subject matter available in academia regarding Japan. Doing so has allowed me to reconcile my experiences regarding Japan as a child, having been exposed to the large body of pop-culture that emanates from Japan and my experiences in Japan as an exchange student in adolescence and again later as an adult (MLO 5). Japanese culture had always vaguely been part of my everyday life, though the idea of what that meant was obscure to me for a long time because I had no experience with the real body of that culture; Japan. Japanese culture was not truthfully represented in any real way in my daily life as a child in Tennessee / Texas, only superficially in the form of pop-culture. Essentially I have always felt a keen desire to separate fact from fiction first-hand (MLO 5), and this curiosity was gifted to me in stories of far off places that I could only experience in art and interpretation, expanding the mystery. It is a sort of classic curiosity, but I am proud to have endeavored to understand another culture that is often misrepresented, misunderstood and yet so prominently talked about in many fields of study, even in the media; something that is very much real yet is met with very little concrete knowledge when inquired about locally (in this case, my childhood surroundings in Texas).
I have learned so much since setting out to experience Japan and other cultures, especially once I became a student at CSUMB. Learning about the mechanics of academia (MLO 4), how to be apart of academia and most importantly how to begin learning from others who also utilize academic methods for research. My interests in the subject of Japanese language and culture have changed dramatically since entering university as well. When I first entered I was mostly interested in the linguistic side of the major (MLO 1), though after a few semesters of advanced Japanese, the looming body of kanji that I need to learn diverted my interests to cultural curiosities found in the annals of Japanese folklore (MLO 2). Since then my focus as a Japanese student has been largely cultural, including multiple research projects concerning folklore and folk beliefs such as the origins of folktales, shinrei spots, youkai, trends in Japanese theatre and art, onmyouji, onmyoudo and how they may be connected to folklore abroad (MLO 3). In short, my interests shifted from being linguistically focused to being anthropologically focused, and I was happy to find that being a Japanese language and culture major means you have one foot in each of those doors.
In the future I would like to delve into subjects that continue to meld CSUMBs MLO 2 and MLO 3, creating more cross-cultural dialogue in subjects that concern Japans influences and influencers, especially in the past and how those matters might be visible in todays global political and cultural landscape. My interest in this aspect of Japanese culture is clearly visible in the capstone portion of this BA degree, so please take the time to read through my capstone research paper and thank you for reading this far.
I have learned so much since setting out to experience Japan and other cultures, especially once I became a student at CSUMB. Learning about the mechanics of academia (MLO 4), how to be apart of academia and most importantly how to begin learning from others who also utilize academic methods for research. My interests in the subject of Japanese language and culture have changed dramatically since entering university as well. When I first entered I was mostly interested in the linguistic side of the major (MLO 1), though after a few semesters of advanced Japanese, the looming body of kanji that I need to learn diverted my interests to cultural curiosities found in the annals of Japanese folklore (MLO 2). Since then my focus as a Japanese student has been largely cultural, including multiple research projects concerning folklore and folk beliefs such as the origins of folktales, shinrei spots, youkai, trends in Japanese theatre and art, onmyouji, onmyoudo and how they may be connected to folklore abroad (MLO 3). In short, my interests shifted from being linguistically focused to being anthropologically focused, and I was happy to find that being a Japanese language and culture major means you have one foot in each of those doors.
In the future I would like to delve into subjects that continue to meld CSUMBs MLO 2 and MLO 3, creating more cross-cultural dialogue in subjects that concern Japans influences and influencers, especially in the past and how those matters might be visible in todays global political and cultural landscape. My interest in this aspect of Japanese culture is clearly visible in the capstone portion of this BA degree, so please take the time to read through my capstone research paper and thank you for reading this far.