Note: The Department Waitlist policy for all courses is 2 - Go to the department office to get on a waitlist, and then attend the first class meeting. Policies and procedures for handling the waitlist will be explained there.
Students wanting to begin language study, at a level other than first year, must take a placement exam to be held on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, from 1pm to 3pm. Students can call ALC (4-8286) at the end of August to find out where the tests will be given.
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Culture Courses/Literature Courses
451. Literary Chinese. Chinese
202 or 362. (4). (Excl).
Literary Chinese is the gateway to the vast treasures of Chinese literature,
history, and culture. One cannot really come to know traditional China,
or even modern China, without the ability to read literary Chinese. It is
the language for the overwhelming majority of whatever was written in Chinese
from the very beginnings to this century. Although there are some similarities
and continuities between literary and modern Chinese, a class of this type
is really necessary to help you open up the riches that lie waiting there.
The class is designed to serve the needs of both undergraduate and graduate
students, of both specialists (and would-be specialists) and those who are
just curious about the Chinese literary heritage. Reading materials include
a textbook, A First Course in Literary Chinese, and handouts especially
picked to reinforce the material in the textbook. Even in just this first
half of a two-term sequence, the student will be introduced to many famous
works of Chinese literature, the kind of pieces that have been memorized
and chanted by Chinese down through the ages. There are brief weekly exercises,
as well as a midterm and final. WL:2
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Times, Location, and Availability
468/Asian Studies 468/Phil. 468.
Classical Chinese Thought (To A.D. 220). Upperclass standing;
no knowledge of Chinese required. (3). (HU).
This course focuses on the major philosophical schools of the Zhou-Han period;
this period was roughly equivalent in time and intellectual fertility to
the classical ages of Greece and Rome. Among these schools, special consideration
is given to the Confucian and Daoist schools, since the doctrines associated
with these were the sources of two major philosophical traditions in China
for the next 2000 years and affected very significant cultural developments
in the arts, religion, science, and politics. The course concentrates on
Chinese ethics and political philosophies (with notable exceptions in the
case of certain Daoist thinkers) and on the theories of human nature that
were associated with them. Chinese philosophers have been somewhat unusual
in occupying or at least aspiring to occupy political office and this has
affected the form and practice of their political theorizing. There is some
background consideration of the social and living conditions of the periods
in which the various philosophies emerged. No knowledge of Chinese is required.
Readings are in translation. All students are required to write three papers,
12-15 double-spaced typed pages in length, on selected topics from the assigned
readings. WL:2
(Ivanhoe)
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Times, Location, and Availability
471/Asian Studies 471. Classical
Chinese Literature in Translation. No knowledge of Chinese
required. (3). (HU).
This course looks at the foundational period of traditional Chinese literature,
from the very beginnings to the 13th century. A large variety of different
types of writing are introduced, from philosophical works to poetry to short
fiction. An ample anthology, Stephen Owen's Anthology of Chinese Literature,
contains the bulk of the readings, as well as witty commentary by the editor.
This anthology will be supplemented with course pack material in areas that
are not very well represented (e.g., Buddhist writings and fiction).
Background on Chinese society and interactions between literature, culture,
and history will be conveyed through short lectures and through a secondary
text, A Guide to Chinese Literature. Even though some lecturing
will, regrettably, have to take place, the emphasis will be on students
reaction to and understanding of the texts read and discussion will be welcomed
and promoted. Students will take a midterm and a final, write three short
papers, and participate in class. The writing of good papers will be emphasized.
WL:2
(Rolston)
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Times, Location, and Availability
476/Asian Studies 476/RC Hums.
476. Writer and Society in Modern China. No knowledge of Chinese
is required. (4). (HU).
This is an invitation to study examples of twentieth-century Chinese literature,
a literature produced during a period of historical upheaval and itself
a battleground for political, cultural, and aesthetic issues. But we also
want to understand and appreciate the artistry and diversity of these literary
works. We will examine: external "reality" as projected by our
texts; ideological pressures of a shifting political context; the influx
of Western influences and the breakdown of tradition; changing views of
gender and sexuality; the role and self-conception of the writer - as avant-garde
rebel, historical witness, social critic, or political martyr - particularly
in confronting the oppressed "other" as woman or peasant. What
is the purpose or meaning of writing? Given the often fatal risks involved,
why write? Readings will include stories by Lu Xun, Family (Ba
Jin), Rickshaw (Lao She), "Miss Sophie's Diary" (Ding
Ling), etc., examples of Communist "revolutionary literature",
some stories from Taiwan. The second half of the term will deal with post-Mao
works, as writers "rethink" themselves and the Communist revolution,
search for cultural roots, explore issues of sexuality and subjectivity,
experiment with new techniques. We will look at parallel developments in
the visual arts and in the "new cinema" through such films as
Yellow Earth, Red Sorghum, etc. Class format: lecture/discussion.
Requirements: three short papers, a final exam. No knowledge of Chinese
required. WL:2
(Feuerwerker)
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Times, Location, and Availability