Module manager: Dr Jieun Kim
Email: j.e.kim@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
| EAST2714 | Death in Japanese Society and Culture |
EAST3355
This module is approved as a discovery module
This module examines how death becomes a space for negotiating critical ethical, social, and existential questions in Japan. We explore the diverse ways people and institutions respond to the uncertainties surrounding death, loss, and what may come after. Special attention is given to forms of death that evoke complex public responses—such as suicides, abortions, disaster deaths, and lonely deaths (kodokushi)—and the ways these experiences are framed and understood within Japanese society and culture. The module also investigates contemporary shifts in end-of-life practices, looking at how individuals, families, and communities adapt to changing demands for alternative funerals and burial options in the context of super-aging. This exploration encourages us to critically reflect on how perspectives on death and dying intersect with broader concerns about social and moral order and ongoing efforts to re-establish meaning in changing times. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
To provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the varied perspectives and evolving practices surrounding death and dying in Japan.
To enable students to discuss and analyse key historical events, social transformations, policies, and cultural practices that inform attitudes towards death and dying in Japan.
To foster critical reflection on how Japanese cultural and social attitudes toward death and dying intersect with larger social, ethical, and moral considerations.
To encourage students to critically assess and evaluate scholarly approaches to death and dying in Japanese society and culture, promoting a nuanced engagement with existing literature and methodologies.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Map the diverse perspectives and evolving practices that shape attitudes toward death and dying in Japan.
2. Investigate the key events, social changes, policies, and cultural practices related to death and dying in Japan.
3. Appraise the ways in which cultural and social attitudes toward death and dying intersect with broader concerns about social order and moral values in Japan and beyond.
4. Critically evaluate existing studies’ approaches to death and dying in Japanese society and culture.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
5. Communicate effectively.
6: Interpret and analyse information from a number of sources and perspectives to formulate new ideas and explanations.
7. Assess diverse perspectives in order to identify biases in one’s own reasoning and develop well-structured and evidence-based argument.
8. Make connections across differing perspectives in order to explore ideas, identify patterns and provide a well-substantiated original reflection.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Seminar | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Private study hours | 178 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 22 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Progress is monitored through performance in seminars. Once the essay assignment is set, students will also prepare an unassessed detailed outline. Feedback from this will help students work on the final essay.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 70 |
| Coursework | Reflective log | 30 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team