Chinese Culture Courses

• Course Code: 01:165:242
• Course Title: Classical Chinese Popular Fiction and Drama in Translation
• Semester(s) Offered: Fall, Spring
• Credits: 3
• SAS Core Certified: AHp

01:165:242 Classical Chinese Popular Fiction and Drama in Translation 

Grading: Attendance and participation 20 %, Class presentation 20%, Final project presentation 20%, Final paper 40%

Every student should actively participate in classroom discussions.

During every meeting, we need one student to give a brief presentation. The presenter should discuss important themes in the story you read and raise questions about the plot and characters. He or she may also discuss the connection between the primary and secondary materials. The instructor and other students will respond to the presenter’s questions. The presentation should run about 15–18 minutes.

At the end of the semester, each student should deliver a final presentation. In this presentation, you should let us know the topic of your final paper, your main argument, and the textual evidence that supports your argument.

Students should write a full-fledged final paper with a clear argument. Please combine primary and secondary sources and analyze texts thoroughly. You should include footnotes and a bibliography. For citations, you may use CMS, MLA, or APA, as long as the citation practice is consistent throughout the paper. Quick guides for all three styles can be found under the “Research and Citation” tab at the Purdue Writing Lab website: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html

As a member of the Rutgers community, you are expected to demonstrate integrity in your academic endeavors. Your paper should be your own original work. If you want to use words or ideas from other sources, please make sure you identify the sources and provide footnotes. If you quote a passage from a book, an article, or a website, please indent the quoted passage and use single spacing. Any work that has been submitted in another course is generally not allowed to be submitted in this course unless you have the permission from your instructor.

It is the policy of Rutgers to make reasonable academic accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you have a disability and wish to request accommodations to complete your course requirements, please contact the office of disability services and ask to speak with a coordinator (848-445-6800 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) about accommodations.

• Course Code: 01:165:262
• Course Title: Chinese Cinema
• Semester(s) Offered: Fall, Spring
• Credits: 3

01:165:262 Chinese Cinema

This course is an introduction to Chinese language cinema in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the transpacific region. It examines the diversity and dynamics of Chinese language cinema across political, linguistic, and ethnic boundaries. We will analyze various film genres such as martial arts cinema, ghost films, new documentary, and urban comedy, film generations and representative figures, as well as film criticism. The Chinese cinema tradition will be examined through such questions as: the foundation of Chinese cinema and the rise of nationalism; the pursuit of modernization; aesthetic responses to political and historical transformations; gender and sexuality; and the issues of revolution, among others. The classes consist of lectures, film screenings, and discussions.

The goal of this course is to study film as a means to explore the richness of Chinese culture. By the end of the course, students will be expected to have a general knowledge of the development of Chinese language cinema, and to learn about Chinese history and culture as reflected in these films.

The course is taught in English, with all films subtitled in English. No knowledge of Chinese or prior coursework in Chinese culture or film are required or expected. The lecture schedule and reading assignments are subject to change.

All films are available as online resources. Students are required to finish watching the films before each session of the class. In class sessions, excerpts of films will be screened for discussion.

Grading: Attendance and class participation: 20%, Three journals (at least 400 words, typed, double-spaced, font 12): 45% (15%*3), Final Project Presentation 10%, Final Project paper (6 pages, typed, double-spaced, font 12): 25%

Attendance for each and every entire class period is mandatory. Throughout the semester, each student is allowed one unexcused absence, and a maximum of two excused absences, which must be accompanied by doctor’s notes or dean’s notes or submitted through the University absence reporting website https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/ to indicate the date and reason for your absence. Beyond that, each unexcused absence will result in a lower grade by 5 points (half-hour late arrival OR early departure is counted as half absence; one hour late arrival OR early departure is counted as full absence). Your participation in class discussions will also be reflected in your grade.

Your journals should be thoughtful responses to films examined in class. Please refrain from retelling the plot of the film or lingering too long on personal experiences. A guideline for how to write a journal will be distributed to you in the first class.

You need to discuss with your instructor about choosing a Chinese film for your final project beforehand. Your project is evaluated from two parts: your presentation in class, and your written paper. Your paper should be an analytical essay, in which you construct a coherent argument based on your learning of Chinese cinema over the course of the semester. Research beyond classroom learning is also required.

No late assignments are accepted.

Plagiarism is absolutely not tolerated. When in doubt, please check the following website for the definition of plagiarism. It also contains explanations of other violations of academic integrity that you should avoid: http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/douglass/sal/plagiarism/intro.html
4. All the readings listed for each week should be done before the class. Students should bring with them the readings required at the class meeting.

It is the policy of Rutgers to make reasonable academic accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you have a disability and wish to request accommodations to complete your course requirements, please contact the office of disability services and ask to speak with a coordinator (848-445-6800 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) about accommodations.

• Course Code: 01:165:264
• Course Title: Chinese Drama and Performing Arts
• Semester(s) Offered: Fall, Spring
• Credits: 3

01:165:264 Chinese Drama and Performing Arts

Description: Survey of Chinese dramatic performance from traditional times to the present, including opera, storytelling, and shadow plays, focusing on regional origins and variations.

Number of Credits: 3 

Prerequisites: None 

Master Course List

• Course Code: 01:165:310
• Course Title: Modern Chinese Literature in Translation
• Semester(s) Offered: Fall, Summer
• Credits: 3
• SAS Core Certified: AHp, WCd

01:165:310 Modern Chinese Literature in Translation

This course introduces students to the history, themes, genres, and major works of modern Chinese literature from early twentieth century through the present. By studying a wide range of key literary texts, we examine the following questions: How has literature become social
expressions in the modern era? How to deal with the relationship between literature, history, and politics? What constitutes Chinese modernity or modernities? How has cultural/national identity of “Chinese” been conceived and negotiated?

Articles marked by # are critical, secondary readings of key literary criticism. All readings, discussions and assignments will be in English. No knowledge of Chinese is required or expected. Great importance is placed on class discussion and on creating a dialogue of
interpretations of the texts we read.

Bi-weekly coursework reflections: One page postings to “Forums” addressing reflection questions distributed for the particular week. Submission must be done before the discussion session.

Two short papers (about 500 words for each paper): At the end of Sections 2 and 3, we will practice how to write a short academic essay, including how to form and develop a topic, provide a brief overview of the major themes of a text, identity the main argument of the critical
article and critique some aspect of it based on your own reading, make your main argument and support it by close textual analysis, come to a conclusion, and how to refer to secondary scholarship and make a bibliography, etc. For each writing practice, a main topic will be provided and no research beyond course materials is required. You are required to submit a draft first. After receiving my feedback and revision suggestions, you will have the opportunity to revise and resubmit your paper. Please submit your paper to the Dropbox at Sakai.

Final paper: 10 pages. Suggestions for paper topics will be handed out beforehand. You are also encouraged to come up with your own topics, in which case you need to run your ideas by me first. Discuss a theme, an issue or an aspect of Chinese literary modernity based primarily on textual analyses of one or two works examined in the semester. The paper needs to have a cogent and original argument and evaluates both primary and secondary sources.

Assessments: The performance of students will be assessed based on online discussions, bi-weekly coursework postings, two short papers (drafts and revisions), and the final paper including an abstract, outline, and the paper with SAS best practice guidelines in mind (see also detailed information about core curriculum goals and requirements). In this way, the instructor will be able to accurately and fairly evaluate students’ performance and progress online.

Grading: Class participation (lecture and discussion sessions): 20%, First short paper (draft and revision): 10%+5%, Second short paper (draft and revision): 10%+5%, Bi-weekly coursework postings: 15%, Final paper (abstract+outline, and paper): 5%+30%

The assessment method for this course is designed to evaluate the student’s mastery of the course goals. The assignments require students to read, interpret and analyze texts of literature as well as literary criticism. Upon completion of the course, students will get familiarized with
analytical and rhetoric skills through oral and writing assignments, which are designed to enable them to discuss critically the themes in a work of literature and literary criticism, form original thoughts, build a main argument, develop it by textual analysis, provide critical responses to theoretical issues of literary criticism, and cite critical sources in an appropriate manner. In both oral presentations and academic papers, students will learn how to identify the main theme of a text, evaluate the central argument and its effectiveness in a critical article, as well as present their own thoughts and responses to the critical article. Students will be able to construct an argument and develop it with textual analysis through one short analytic essay and one long research paper. For the short paper, students will have the opportunity to learn how to make revisions based on the instructor’s feedback and suggestions and to resubmit their paper.