The Age of the Samurai
East Asian Languages & Culture · 3 hrs Seminar/Discussion
Offered: Fall Or Winter
EALC-4721 prerequisites
We couldn't read this course's prerequisites into a chain. The wording is under “Requisite courses” below.
Part of this course's requisite text couldn't be parsed into structure, so the chain below may be incomplete. The full wording is under “Requisite courses”.
Where EALC-4721 counts
Counts toward 2 more as one option among several, not as a course you must take:
Read from the departments' own calendar pages, where 50 of 208 programs are only partly machine-readable, so treat these as a minimum rather than the full list. Confirm with an academic advisor.
Description
"Samurai" often evokes an image of a warrior entranced in the Bushido code, ready to commit harakiri upon command. This course demystifies such an aura surrounding Japan's warrior class by exploring their rise from Heian temple servants to Sengoku warlords and then their fall from Edo Japan's intellectuals and bureaucrats to the realms of the destitute. Sources include samurai autobiographies, their intellectual scholarship, and representations of samurai in contemporary popular culture.
Requisite courses
EALC/REL-2721 and permission of the Department Chair [prerequisite(s)].
Restrictions
Honours Form Required. Students may not hold credit for this course and EALC-3721 | REL-3721 | REL-4721.
Cross-listed
From the 2026-27 undergraduate calendar. Always verify details on WebAdvisor or with an academic advisor before registering.