The University of Tokyo is now accepting applications for the two-week residential 2014 Media Mix Summer Program, to be held from July 14 to July 26. Through lectures, workshops, field trips and other special activities, participants in this program will “understand the ways in which Japanese pop culture circulates across multiple media platforms and commodity forms.” The program’s overall goal will be to “examine this transmedia movement between anime, manga and other media forms from both a theoretical and practitioner perspective.” The sessions will be led by Ian Condry (MIT), Marc Steinberg (Concordia University), and Eiji Otsuka, and Shinuya Oshimi (University of Tokyo).
Undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, industry professionals, and all others interested in Japanese popular culture are welcome to apply to the program. The application deadline is April 4, and applicants are asked to submit a CV highlighting any relevant academic interests, research and publications, or work experience, the name and contact details of one reference, a transcript, and a cover letter answering these questions:
- What do you hope to learn from this summer program? What forms of Japanese pop culture interest you the most? How might the program relate to your future career plans?
- What do you think are the most interesting aspects of recent Japanese pop culture, such as anime, manga, idol singers, and others? Give at least one specific example and explain why. Explanations that integrate a theoretical, historical, and/or comparative perspective are particularly welcome.
A knowledge of Japanese is helpful, but not required. The program is fully funded, and students who are selected to participate will receive up to 100,000 yen for travel expenses, and free accommodations. However, participants who are not currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program are not eligible for funding.