Course Credits (3)
This course explores a pivotal chapter in the early relationship between the United States and Japan, focusing on the first Japanese students who studied at Rutgers in the late nineteenth century and the Rutgers graduates who traveled to Japan as educators, advisors, and missionaries. Through the close examination of primary, secondary, and visual sources, as well as community engagement and collaboration with students and faculty at the University of Fukui, students will investigate how this cross-cultural encounter was experienced, interpreted, remembered, and represented by different individuals and communities. The course also examines the ways cultures can be misunderstood, misrepresented, or redefined through processes of exchange and encounter. By engaging with multiple perspectives and resources, students will develop a deeper understanding of the complexities and challenges of cultural interaction and the possibilities for dialogue, appreciation, and shared understanding across national and cultural boundaries. This year, students will have the unique opportunity to participate in a community-wide commemoration marking the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Mikado's Empire by William E. Griffis (Class of 1869) and the centennial of his final visit to Japan in 1926–1927. During that visit, Griffis was awarded a medal of honor by the Emperor of Japan in recognition of his contributions to U.S.-Japan relations. Through this anniversary celebration, students will engage directly with the enduring legacy of the historical Rutgers-Japan connection.
**There will be an optional 10-day study tour to Fukui/Tokyo/Yokohama in Summer 2027.
About Professor Wakabayashi
Haruko Wakabayashi is an Associate Teaching Professor in Asian Languages and Cultures, School of Arts and Sciences. She received her Ph.D. from Princeton University. Prof. Wakabayashi is a cultural historian of premodern Japan. Her interest lies in the social, cultural, and intellectual development with a focus on twelfth to sixteenth centuries and the use of visual sources in the study of history.