Chinese Culture Courses
01:165:341
- Course Code: 01:165:341
- Course Title: Major Traditions in Chinese Thought
- Semester(s) Offered: Fall
- Credits: 3
01:165:341 Major Traditions in Chinese Thought
This course centers on the three critical Chinese intellectual traditions: Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Focusing on the concepts of “Dao” (or “the Way”), “Heaven,” and “Human Nature,” it traces the mutual absorption (i.e., syncretism) of these three traditions over the centuries before 1400 CE. Since philosophy and religion were not divided into two separate branches of knowledge in pre-modern China, we will pay particular attention to the religious aspects of Chinese “philosophical” traditions, which modern scholars have often neglected. In this way, we can better understand how people embodied these traditions in everyday life.
This course achieves the Asian Languages and Cultures Departmental Learning Goals specified for the Asian Studies (098) and Chinese (165) major and minor. For the complete statement of Asian Languages and Cultures Departmental Learning Goals.
Grading: Class and Group Participation 20%, Group Discussion Reports 20%, Quizzes 30%, Short Paper 30%
Attendance is not mandatory for this course, but class and group participation is. I assess each individual’s performance over the semester in the following areas:
Preparedness: Complete and understand the reading assignment before class.
Mastery: Demonstrate ability to apply course materials during class.
Engagement: Actively initiate and respond to questions and contribute to discussions.
Teamwork: Be respectful, supportive, and engaging, and listen to your peers.Discussion: Focus and articulate your analysis, synthesis, and argument.
Overall: Your presence improves the class dynamic and level of discussion.
The group discussions will focus on primary sources. Groups are randomly assigned every Thursday; you will therefore have a different combination of people in your group each time. Each group will post a short report (150–200 words) of their discussion on Canvas Discussion before 11:59 PM.
Each group should also elect one person to send me a quick email evaluating the quality of the group discussion. Make sure to provide the one-word evaluation in the subject line and the group members’ names in the email. Use the following rubric:
Excellent: Everyone completed the readings before the class and contributed to the discussion.
Average: Most people completed the readings before the class and contributed to the discussion.
Poor: Most people did NOT complete their reading before the class or contribute to the discussion.
There will be an open-book quiz every Thursday starting September 9, 2021. Each quiz has 5 multiple-choice questions based on the lecture and reading assigned for that week. All quizzes are administered through Canvas Quizzes. The quiz of the week will be available on Thursdays between 12:01 AM to 2:59 PM. Once you start the quiz, you have 10 minutes to complete it. Only the top 10 scores will be used to calculate the final grade. There will be no make-up quiz.
Students must complete one short paper for this course. The paper will be an analytical essay centering on a question drawing from the course materials. It requires students to use the primary sources and other assigned readings to form and support their arguments. No research will be needed.
01:165:342
- Course Code: 01:165:342
- Course Title: Major Traditions in Chinese Thought
- Semester(s) Offered: Fall, Spring
- Credits: 3
01:165:342 Major Traditions in Chinese Thought
Description: Rise and development of pristine Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism, Legalism, the School of Names, Sinicized Buddhism, and Neo-Confucianism; their influences on Chinese civilization, their reevaluation in the light of new tendencies of thought after contact with the West. Continuation of 01:165:341
Number of Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
Semesters Offered: Irregular
01:165:462 / 16:217:521
- Course Code: 01:165:462
- Course Title: History of Chinese Literature: 1300 to 1900
- Semester(s) Offered: Fall
- Credits: 3
16:217:521 / 01:165:462 History of Chinese Literature: 1300 to 1900
This course follows a chronological order and familiarizes students with major literary genres and works from China’s Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1912) dynasties. Students will read vernacular short stories, literati plays, anecdotal works, and excerpts from “novels in chapters” (zhanghui xiaoshuo 章回小說). In class, students will discuss primary texts and learn how a wide range of themes and characters form the literary landscape of late imperial China. In addition, students will see how literature interacts with social history, religion, as well as visual and material culture through reading secondary sources. All readings are in English. No knowledge of Chinese language or literature is required. Students with the ability to read Chinese texts are encouraged to read the original.
Grading: Attendance and participation 10 %, Class presentation 15%, Canvas postings 20%, Midterm paper 20%, Final paper 35%
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. The instructor and other students will respond to the presenter’s questions. The presentation should run about 10–15 minutes.
Please write a well-crafted and clearly argued midterm essay based on your close reading of a story or stories. Please engage secondary sources (monographs and scholarly articles) if you think they are helpful to your analysis. Please provide footnotes and a bibliography.
Students should write a 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
01:165:463 / 16:217:525
- Course Code: 01:165:463
- Course Title: Nature in Chinese Literature
- Semester(s) Offered: Fall, Spring
- Credits: 3
16:217:525 / 01:165:463 Nature in Chinese Literature
This course will examine representations of nature in major Chinese literary genres and of human relations to nature during the early and medieval periods. Special attention will be paid to general shifts in conceptions of nature as well as larger questions of experience, perception, and representation. Readings consist of both primary texts in English translation and secondary critical works. Relevant cultural and historical contexts will be highlighted in class. Students are expected to participate actively in class discussions, during which the texts will be read closely. In addition to class discussion, students are required to do at least one in-class presentation on the assigned readings. At the end of each class, the professor will briefly introduce the coming week’s readings and provide questions and issues for thinking about the texts. No background in Chinese language or literature is required. Students with reading ability in Classical Chinese are encouraged to read the texts in the original, though class discussions will be based on the English translations.
Participation in the discussion of texts in class is mandatory. Students will need to come to class having read and reflected on all of the assigned works and critical literature. All students are expected to speak at least once per session (e.g. by posing a question, expressing a view point).
Each week 1-2 students will be delegated to present on the weekly secondary readings. These brief presentations should briefly summarize and critically analyze the main arguments of the readings and pose questions about them. All other students will read in advance the selected materials and be ready to pose questions about the reading.
Students are required to submit one midterm paper (30%) and one final research paper (40%).
Midterm Paper: 5-7 pages in length. Choose a theme, issue or author and construct an argument based on close reading of two or more texts. Try to be original and careful in your analysis. No research beyond course materials is required.
Final Research Paper: For undergraduate students, the final paper should be 10-12 pages in length; for graduate students, 18-20 pages in length. Discuss a theme, issue or figure based primarily on textual analyses of works by a single author or by different authors. Research beyond course readings is also required. Please see me first to discuss your topic.
Written work for this course must be entirely your own and careful citation of credible sources should conform with The Chicago Manual of Style. For guidelines, see: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html.
Course Materials: Stephen Owen, An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1996.