During the late 1990s and early 2000s, close to 500 new volumes of Japanese comic books, or manga, were published in Spain each year — some with circulations of over 40,000 copies per volume. On television, in Spain and elsewhere in Europe, most of the cartoons popular among children come from Japan. Manga and anime are just two examples of how Japanese audiovisual culture has penetrated European markets since the mid-1970s.

This course offers an introduction to that phenomenon — the global circulation of Japanese popular culture. It provides a historical overview of manga, anime and other cultural expressions, such as television drama (j-drama), horror films (j-horror) and music (j-pop), with the underlying goal of introducing students to contemporary Japan through its popular culture. Being an online course, it places emphasis on skills applicable to the broader discipline of the digital humanities.