This Experiential Education course includes travel during Project: Pomfret, with an additional associated fee. Financial aid may be available.

Travel to: Japan
Cost: $6,500
Certificate Pursuit: Global Citizenship & Awareness 

This two-term, advanced-level English course—spanning the winter and spring terms—immerses students in the distinctive literary style of Haruki Murakami, focusing on his exploration of post–World War II Japan. Students will examine Murakami’s works within the context of Japan’s evolving identity, with particular attention to pivotal historical moments such as the American occupation, rapid economic growth, the student uprisings of the late 1960s, and the collapse of the economic bubble. Core texts include Kafka on the Shore, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and a selection of Murakami’s short stories. Throughout the course, students will explore themes of identity, power, alienation, memory, and the tension between tradition and modernity. Emphasis is placed on close literary analysis, tracing Murakami’s stylistic choices, narrative techniques, and recurring motifs to better understand the complexity of modern Japanese culture. As part of Pomfret’s Experiential Education program, the course includes a 10-day trip to Japan between the winter and spring terms. This immersive travel experience allows students to engage directly with the cultural landscapes and contemporary realities that shape Murakami’s fiction. Students will complete the course with analytical essays, creative projects, and research presentations that synthesize their literary study and real-world experiences. Ultimately, the course offers students a deep and nuanced understanding of Japan’s post-war journey as reflected in literature, while cultivating advanced academic skills and cross-cultural insight.

This course is open to rising juniors and seniors; departmental approval is required.