Hoyland: MLO4
MLO 4: Secondary Cultural Knowledge
In addition to the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures, the student demonstrates a general knowledge of a
socio-cultural group other than a Hispanic one or mainstream American culture. The student develops a basic
understanding of the ways of thinking (ideas, beliefs, attitudes, values, philosophies), the behavioral practices
(patterns of social interactions) and the cultural products – both tangible and intangible (for example, art, history,
literature, music) – of the second culture.
MLO 4 Refelection
Completing this course and this MLO was a challenge for me because the Japanese culture is very different
compared to what I have been exposed to previously. With the United States having such a large Latino
population, I have been able to experience many aspects of the culture on a regular basis throughout my life
whereas I had almost no exposure to Japanese culture before completing this MLO.
The Japanese Anime and Manga course that I took in Spring of 2012 opened my eyes to a completely different
world compared to what I have known before. This course was really my first introduction to Japanese culture
beyond the products and media that have crossed over into mainstream America. We discussed in-depth how
manga and anime came to be what they are known as today and why they have become such an integral part of
the lives of so many people in Japan and many other countries around the world. We read some of the "classic"
manga as an introduction to the history of the art form as well as excerpts from many of the most significant
genres in today’s popular markets. We also viewed several anime films to understand how the two styles relate.
We discussed what roles both these art/entertainment forms play in the lives of different age groups and how
they are viewed by modern Japanese society.
For the course midterm, I completed two essay questions discussing the differences and similarities between
Japanese manga and comic books originating in the United States. I also had to discuss why I believed robots
and cyborgs play a recurring role in Japanese animation based on information we had discussed in class. These
questions allowed me to see an interesting point of view comparing and contrasting aspects of my own culture
and that of the people of Japan.
For the final project, we had two options. We could choose to submit a research paper detailing a specific aspect
of manga and anime that caught our attention, or we could submit a creative project based on what we had
learned about manga and anime. I chose to do a mixture of the two and submitted an original manga style comic
along with a written portion detailing the remainder of the story beyond what I was able to draw and complete.
This project made me consider what styles of manga caught my own attention and what I thought would be of
interest to others attracted to this piece of Japanese culture and modern entertainment.
Class Taken for the MLO:
JAPN 313: Manga, Anime & Modern Japan
I have included PDF copies of these projects and the course syllabus below.
Class Syllabus
Midterm Essay
Final Creative Written Project
Final Creative Manga
In addition to the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures, the student demonstrates a general knowledge of a
socio-cultural group other than a Hispanic one or mainstream American culture. The student develops a basic
understanding of the ways of thinking (ideas, beliefs, attitudes, values, philosophies), the behavioral practices
(patterns of social interactions) and the cultural products – both tangible and intangible (for example, art, history,
literature, music) – of the second culture.
MLO 4 Refelection
Completing this course and this MLO was a challenge for me because the Japanese culture is very different
compared to what I have been exposed to previously. With the United States having such a large Latino
population, I have been able to experience many aspects of the culture on a regular basis throughout my life
whereas I had almost no exposure to Japanese culture before completing this MLO.
The Japanese Anime and Manga course that I took in Spring of 2012 opened my eyes to a completely different
world compared to what I have known before. This course was really my first introduction to Japanese culture
beyond the products and media that have crossed over into mainstream America. We discussed in-depth how
manga and anime came to be what they are known as today and why they have become such an integral part of
the lives of so many people in Japan and many other countries around the world. We read some of the "classic"
manga as an introduction to the history of the art form as well as excerpts from many of the most significant
genres in today’s popular markets. We also viewed several anime films to understand how the two styles relate.
We discussed what roles both these art/entertainment forms play in the lives of different age groups and how
they are viewed by modern Japanese society.
For the course midterm, I completed two essay questions discussing the differences and similarities between
Japanese manga and comic books originating in the United States. I also had to discuss why I believed robots
and cyborgs play a recurring role in Japanese animation based on information we had discussed in class. These
questions allowed me to see an interesting point of view comparing and contrasting aspects of my own culture
and that of the people of Japan.
For the final project, we had two options. We could choose to submit a research paper detailing a specific aspect
of manga and anime that caught our attention, or we could submit a creative project based on what we had
learned about manga and anime. I chose to do a mixture of the two and submitted an original manga style comic
along with a written portion detailing the remainder of the story beyond what I was able to draw and complete.
This project made me consider what styles of manga caught my own attention and what I thought would be of
interest to others attracted to this piece of Japanese culture and modern entertainment.
Class Taken for the MLO:
JAPN 313: Manga, Anime & Modern Japan
I have included PDF copies of these projects and the course syllabus below.
Class Syllabus
Midterm Essay
Final Creative Written Project
Final Creative Manga