Fall 2025 - SA 365 D100
Selected Regional Areas (A) (4)
Class Number: 4947
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
-
Course Times + Location:
Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2025: Thu, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby
-
Instructor:
Yuan Wei
weiyuanw@sfu.ca
Office Hours: Thu, 3:00-4:00 p.m., in person
-
Prerequisites:
SA 101 or 150 or 201W.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
An examination of selected aspects of the social structure, culture and the processes of social change in varying regional areas. Students may repeat this course for further credit under a different topic.
COURSE DETAILS:
Selected Regional Areas: Gender and Intimacy in China
What were women’s lives like in late imperial China? Were they merely victims of patriarchal oppression, or did they hold some sense of agency within the Confucian family structure? How can we understand homoerotic desires and practices prior to the emergence of the modern concept of “homosexuality” in the Chinese context? How were these gendered and sexual experiences and identities transformed in the 20th century? What do contemporary queer lives look like in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong? And how can these histories and experiences help us approach gender and sexuality from a non-Western perspective? This course explores these questions by examining cultures of gender and intimacy across Chinese history and society. The course is divided into four parts. The first part examines women’s and queer lives in Chinese society before the 20th century, with a focus on how they differed from modern, Western notions of gender and sexual subjectivity. The second part explores the introduction of modern concepts of gender, womanhood, sexuality, and personhood in the early 20th century, and how these translated forms of knowledge reshaped local norms and lived experiences. The third part investigates women’s experiences and organizing efforts under Maoist socialism in mainland China, with particular attention to the possibilities and contradictions of socialist feminism. The final part turns to queer lives in contemporary China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, where a comparative perspective not only challenges prevailing understandings of queerness, but also prompts critical reflection on the definitions of “China” and “Chineseness.”
COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
- Acquire a broad understanding of modern Chinese history and society through the lens of gender and sexuality; identify key moments in the 20th century Chinese history
- Develop a critical approach to modernity from a global, non-Western perspective
- Develop methodological approaches to studying non-Western forms of gender and sexual cultures and subjectivities
- Practices skills in analyzing political discourses (state, reformist, revolutionary) within their historical contexts
Grading
- Attendance and participation 15%
- Class presentation and discussion facilitation 10%
- Two short essays 15%
- In-class midterm exam 30%
- Final research paper (2000-2400 words) 30%
NOTES:
With the exception of three short essays, all assignment in the class must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned.
Grading: Where a final exam is scheduled and the student does not write the exam or withdraw from the course before the deadline date, an N grade will be assigned. Unless otherwise specified on the course syllabus, all graded assignments for this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned. An N is considered as an F for the purposes of scholastic standing.
Grading System: The Undergraduate Course Grading System is as follows:
A+ (95-100) | A (90-94) | A- (85-89) | B+ (80-84) | B (75-79) | B- (70-74) | C+ (65-69) | C (60-64) | C- (55-59) | D (50-54) | F (0-49) | N*
*N standing to indicate the student did not complete course requirements
Academic Honesty and Student Conduct Policies: The Department of Sociology & Anthropology follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T20.01), and academic honesty and student conduct procedures (S10‐S10.05). Unless otherwise informed by your instructor in writing, in graded written assignments you must cite the sources you rely on and include a bibliography/list of references, following an instructor-approved citation style. It is the responsibility of students to inform themselves of the content of SFU policies available on the SFU website.
Centre for Accessible Learning: Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need classroom or exam accommodations are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (1250 Maggie Benston Centre) as soon as possible to ensure that they are eligible and that approved accommodations and services are implemented in a timely fashion.
The Sociology and Anthropology Student Union, SASU, is a governing body of students who are engaged with the department and want to build the SA community. Get involved! Follow Facebook and Instagram pages or visit our website.
Materials
MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:
All the course readings will be available via Canvas.
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.
To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit:
- SFU’s Academic Integrity Policy: S10-01 Policy
- SFU’s Academic Integrity website, which includes helpful videos and tips in plain language: Academic Integrity at SFU
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.