Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An in-depth study on a specific aspect of Asian cultures in the modern period, including art, film, media and/or literature.

COURSE DETAILS:

Change and Survival: Contemporary Chinese Writing in Translation

China in the last century has been a turbulent time of revolution, reforms and changes. How have Chinese people survived these various episodes of violence, trauma and changes? How have Chinese writers captured those personal memories and socio/political history? What kinds of narrative devices have they employed to express their sympathy and understanding of the complexity of humanity?

This course introduces some representative works by contemporary Chinese writers. Through a close reading of these works, we will try to reach some understanding of both humanity and narrative from the very specific perspective of contemporary Chinese writing. The aims of the course are to:

1) Discover contemporary China literature through close reading of three fictional /non-fictional works and explore how Chinese literature expresses some common subjects and themes in 20th century human experience: violence, change, trauma, survival and the importance of culture and education.
2) The method of the course combines critical literary analysis of core texts with historical/cultural context and class discussions. By the end of the course, students are expected to gain a deeper understanding of contemporary China through literature and film, as well as developing broader skills
3) Develop generic skills of active critical reading and literary/cultural analysis, through weekly class discussion, presentation and the formulation and writing of a final paper.

In order to achieve these goals, in each class we will discuss one aspect/issue of narrative and representation through a specific text. The students are required to read assigned texts (including some cinematic texts) with a set of questions to reflect on, and discuss these questions with fellow students on Canvas. These texts and questions will then be further discussed in class through class discussion and group presentations. Active participation in seminars and developing a major research paper are required for successful completion of the course.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

REQUIRED READING NOTES: