Section Description:Students wishing to register for this course need to first obtain instructor approval by emailing the instructor (instructor emails are listed with a more detailed program description in portal: cca.edu/abroad). Once a student is approved, registration must be done in person at the Student Records Office on either campus.The Japanese concept of emptiness is rooted in the ancient Shinto belief that a void attracts kami or gods, and wabi sabi is the quintessential Japanese aesthetic that identifies beauty as things that are imperfect, impermanent, or incomplete. Students in this course discover, define, and document examples of these traditional Japanese concepts during 10 days in Japan’s present-day capitol and megalopolis, Tokyo, with a day trip to its former de facto capitol, Kamakura, and four days in its ancient capitols, Kyoto and Nara.
 
After the first five nights in Tokyo, the group takes the Shinkansen, Bullet Train, down to Kyoto where they spend six days visiting Japan’s most exquisite examples of traditional gardens, temples, and shrines, with a day trip to Nara, the oldest capital of Japan. In Kyoto, the instructor guides students to six of the city’s most significant temples and gardens with one open day for individual research. Then the class returns to Tokyo for the final five nights.
 
The outcome of this course integrates narrative with visual images and may take any form including 2D, 3D, and time-based media. Final projects are evaluated on the quality of research, analysis, creative thinking, form giving, and craft. Collaboration is always an option.
 

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