Chinese Culture Courses
01:165:471
- Course Code: 01:165:471
- Course Title: Early "China" in the "World" - Cosmography, Epistemology & Encountering the Strange
- Semester(s) Offered: Fall
- Credits: 3
01:165:471 Early "China" in the "World" - Cosmography, Epistemology & Encountering the Strange
How different cultures come to form and maintain a sense of identity is the topic of this investigation. This seminar examines how the Chinese perceived themselves, their realm, the world, and beyond from high antiquity to the late medieval period. It traces the intertwining developments in cosmography (i.e., the description and representation of the universe) and epistemology (i.e., the study of knowledge). Frequently, these developments were prompted by encountering strange creatures, ideas, objects, and phenomena. We will read accounts, stories, and treatises documenting the Chinese efforts to catalog and understand everything under the sun. As we comb through these documents, we will also examine how the Chinese formed their cultural identity. Accordingly, the course discussions will focus both on "China" as an imagined landscape and a territorial polity.
Grading: Class Participation 20%, Group Discussion Summary 20%, Weekly Analysis of Primary Sources – WPSA 30%, Term Paper 30%
We come together twice weekly to share our thoughts on the formation of Chinese cultural identity by examining early cosmography and epistemology. As with all seminars, lecture on the course materials will be kept to a minimum. You are expected to complete the reading assignment before the class and ready to discuss the contents. Class participation and group discussion are the key components of this course.
Attendance is not mandatory for this course, but class participation is.
Each group is required to post a short report (150-200 words) of their discussion and conclusion on Canvas before mid-night. Otherwise, the window will be closed. Your report should list the names of all members. It would help everyone if you considered including the following in the report:
• What was your final answer to the question?
• From which primary sources did you draw the conclusion, and why?
• Was this a unanimous or majority decision? If the latter, what was the dissenting opinion?
The person (or persons) who write the report should also email me a separate one-word self-evaluation on the quality of group corporation via Canvas. Put your group number and one-word evaluation in the subject line. For example: Group 1-Excellent. Please consult 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.
WPSA should consist of insights drawn from closely reading one primary source. It is advisable that undergraduate students submit one WPSA per week, although only the TEN highest scores will be counted toward the final grade.
Undergraduate students are to complete ONE term paper for this course. The paper will be an analytical essay centering on a question based on the course materials. It requires students to use the primary sources and other assigned readings to support their arguments. No research will be needed. The paper is between 1000-1250 words in length.
01:165:461
- Course Code: 01:165:461
- Course Title: History of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1300
- Semester(s) Offered: Fall, Spring
- Credits: 3
01:165:461 History of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1300
Description: Introduction to traditional Chinese literature from its beginnings through the Song dynasty (960-1279), with emphasis on major narrative and poetic genres, as well as their cultural and historical contexts.
Number of Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
Semesters Offered: Varies
01:165:211
- Course Code: 01:165:211
- Course Title: Language and Identity in Modern Chinese Societies
- Semester(s) Offered: Fall, Spring
- Credits: 3
01:165:211 Language and Identity in Modern Chinese Societies
Language use is inevitably intertwined with identity portrayal and perception in any society. This course will introduce students to fundamental concepts in sociolinguistics and current issues in language and society. We will then examine how identities are retained and shaped through language choice and language use by people in the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, the U.S. and other Chinese diaspora communities. Students will gain a critical understanding of how ethnic diversity, geography, linguistic heritage, social experimentation, and rapid modernization and globalization have affected language use and the forming of social identity in modern Chinese societies.
By the end of the course, students will be able to identify and explain the roles social, historical and political contexts play in shaping the portrayal and perception of human identities as individuals and as groups through language use, and in particular, contexts that are unique to Chinese societies. Topics include language in relation to ethnic identity, migrant identity, workplace identity, gender identity, national identity, Chinese-American identity, identity under globalization, and online identity.
Course Materials: Textbook: Trudgill, Peter. (2000) Sociolinguistics: An Introduction to Language and Society, 4th ed. Harmondsworth: Penguin (recommended but not required), Other readings: Journal articles and other book chapters listed in the weekly readings will be available on Canvas, Handouts and PowerPoint slides: The handouts and PowerPoint slides used in the lectures will be available on Canvas
Grading: Attendance & Participation 10%, Pair projects 20%, Group presentations 20%, Film discussions 10%, Mid-term Exam 20%, Final Project 20%
You are expected to attend class and actively participate in all class discussions and activities. You are allowed no more than two absences without a Dean’s excuse. You are expected to complete the assigned readings before each class. Absences can be excused only for religious reasons (must be reported in advance), or documented emergencies (official documents must be provided). Absences related to Covid-19 may be excused in accordance with guidelines from the university. If you expect to miss a class, please use the university absence reporting website (https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/) to indicate the date and reason for your absence.
You will work with a partner to complete two pair projects over the course of the semester. For Pair Project 1: Discourse analysis, you will record a conversation and analyze it with the sociolinguistic tools discussed in class. For Pair Project 2: Language reform, you will make a poster to propose a language reform. Specific instructions for the projects will be distributed a week before the due date. You will have opportunities in class to prepare for the presentations. These projects are turn-in assignments. Late submissions within one week of the due date will be docked by 10% for each day they are late. Assignments submitted one week after the due date will not be accepted.
You will work in small groups of 3-4 to complete two group presentations over the course of the semester. For Presentation 1: Mini Documentary, you will film a 10-minute interview in English with a native-speaker of a Chinese dialect. For Presentation 2: Mini Survey, you will design, distribute and analyze a survey, and then give a presentation on your findings (10 minutes per group). Specific instructions for the projects will be distributed two weeks before the due date. You will have opportunities in class to prepare for the presentations. These presentations are graded assignments.
We will screen 3 films throughout the semester. We will watch about 60 minutes of the film and spend 20 minutes for discussion. For the film response, you may post a short written or spoken response. These responses are turn-in assignments.
The mid-term is an in-class exam consisting of term identification, short response and essay questions on materials covered in Modules 1~5. Rescheduling of the mid-term exam is only possible for officially excused absences or conflicts (official documents must be provided). You can only reschedule the mid-term exam if you receive permission from the instructor in advance.
The Final Project is a research project proposal. The topic of the project must be related to the course materials. The 5-page proposal (size 12 font, double space) must include rationale for study, brief overview of previous studies, sociolinguistic tools that will be used to conduct the study, and predicted outcome. Specific instructions for the final project will be distributed two weeks in advance. You will have the opportunity to share your project idea and receive feedback from your instructor and classmates. The research project proposal may be developed into your senior thesis or honors thesis. This is a graded assignment. You must submit the proposal as a Word file via the assignment link on Canvas.
01:165:210
- Course Code: 01:165:210
- Course Title: The Chinese Language: Description and History
- Semester(s) Offered: Spring
- Credits: 3
- SAS Core Certified: AHq
01:165:210 The Chinese Language: Description and History
This is a general lecture course about the Chinese language. No previous knowledge of Chinese is required. However, students without a background in Chinese are strongly encouraged to also take a Chinese language course. Whether or not you do study Chinese, you should be prepared to learn much of the Chinese that is presented as examples in the lectures and readings.
During the course we will discuss the sounds and word structure of modern standard Chinese, the history of Chinese, the Chinese writing system, Chinese dialects, the relationship of Chinese to its neighboring languages, language in Chinese society, and modern language planning, reform, and standardization. In learning about the characteristics of Chinese and the history of the language, you will acquire a knowledge of what the Chinese language is like and how it is organized and used by its speakers. Through our examination of this language, you will develop a deeper knowledge of the nature of human languages in general and an understanding of the speakers of the languages of China and elsewhere. This knowledge will enhance your interest in and facilitate your learning of Chinese language, culture, literature, and history, should you choose to study them now or in the future.
Course Materials: Chen, Ping. Modern Chinese: History and Sociolinguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999., Norman, Jerry. Chinese. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988, Sun Chaofen. Chinese: A Linguistic Description. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Grading: Attendance and participation 10%, Quizzes 15%, Group Project 30% (Presentation 10% and Written Report 20%), Midterm Exam 20%, Final Exam 25%
Students are expected to attend all classes. If you expect to miss one or two classes, please use the University absence reporting website https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/ to indicate the date and reason for your absence. Beginning with the 2 second class you miss, your final grade will be lowered by 1/3 of a grade for each day you are absent without bona fide medical or religious cause that was not reported at the University absence reporting website https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/.
Through the semester, you will have three short quizzes and two exams. Most of the questions in the quizzes and exams will be based on reading assignments or classroom lectures.
You will be required to do a group project that will be presented near the end of the semester. Each group member will be given 5-10 minutes for his or her presentation (for example, a 3 person group will have up to half an hour). The presentation will include a written report that the group should write together. Reports should be 4-6 double-spaced pages per person and will be due on the day indicated in the syllabus. The report must follow normal conventions of style for college term papers and must include a bibliography. Your reports should cite at least 3 non-Internet sources. If Internet sources are also used, you can only cite facts they contain or paraphrase their arguments. All sources must be properly documented. You may be creative with your group projects: they may be on a topic or theme regarding any aspect of Chinese language that is of common interest to the group.
01:165:220
- Course Code: 01:165:220
- Course Title: Chinese Classics and Thought: Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism
- Semester(s) Offered: Spring
- Credits: 3
- SAS Core Certified: AHo, HST
01:165:220 Chinese Classics and Thought: Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism
Description: Introduction to Confucianism, Daoism, and Chinese Buddhism, with emphasis on their origins and interrelations, their influence on Chinese culture, and their values in the modern world.
Number of Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
Semesters Offered: Spring