This course offers an introductory survey of Japanese culture from its earliest prehistory to the twenty-first century, covering key moments and themes that shaped Japan’s cultural and national identity in the context of local and global transformations. We will examine Japan’s social values, aesthetic expression, religion, and political institutions to understand Japan’s cultural heritage and contemporary society through its transformation from a “feudal state” to a “modernized nation.” Through secondary scholarship from a wide range of disciplines, we will explore meaningful ways of understanding historical and cultural contexts from diverse perspectives in critical analysis writings throughout the course while considering points of comparison and exchange that relate to our own experiences.