This course will cultivate students’ ability to understand China from the perspectives of cultural diversity. The course will introduce students to multiethnic, multilingual Chinese literary, cinematic, and artistic productions to help students formulate multicultural insights about China. Students will critically re-assess the boundaries of Chinese literature and culture by probing the historically evolving relationships between the so-called Chinese political and culture “center” and its non-Han peripheries. Students will delve into many previously marginalized literary voices, discursive productions, and creative expressions generated by China’s diverse non-Han groups (shaoshu minzu).

We will particularly investigate how ethnic minority intellectuals endeavor to salvage fast disappearing minority linguistic and cultural traditions against state-led modernization in China. We will further place Chinese ethnic cultures in a global, Trans-Pacific context by analyzing how Chinese minority poets foster cross-cultural solidarity with Native American communities. We will also examine transnational cinematic sensations, such as Wolf Totem about Inner Mongolia, to form sophisticated understandings of how Chinese ethnic minority cultural symbols enter into global cultural and capital circulations. Students will have the opportunity to conduct research with Chinese-language and minority-language literary, cinematic, and artistic materials—to develop their skills to engage with multicultural sources in globalizing China.

Note: All of the Chinese- and minority-language sources discussed in class will be accompanied by English translations.

Course Requirements:

No Chinese or Chinese minority language skills are required, but if you are studying Chinese or proficient in Mandarin or Chinese minority languages, you are encouraged to conduct research in the original language(s).

Intended Audience:

Undergraduate students

Class Format:

Two 90-minute meetings weekly