SF-1173 Understanding the Vast Sweep of Chinese Culture
This course is an introduction to both ancient and modern Chinese civilization with a focus on its literature, arts, and 4000 year cultural history. We will see China at its earliest stages through its archaeology and progress to the heights of literary splendor in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Study of select early plays from the Mongol Yuan period will clearly tie into the development of Ming and Qing period fiction. With the fall of imperial China in 1911, the focus of literature changed drastically and we will study how many modern authors were able to draw from a massive wealth of literary resources to help create a new Chinese literature and culture. We will watch several films that will provide a rich visual portrait of the culture. We will read quite a few representative literary and historical works in English translation that will give a great deal of insight into modern China and how we can both relate to and interact with this complex and amazing country. This course is a good introduction to further study of Chinese history and culture and, in particular, provides a valuable context for students in all majors that wish to gain a deeper understanding of Asian culture.