A selection of the most influential literary works in East Asian civilization. Focusing on fiction, drama, poetry, history, and literary theory, students will read and analyze primary works and study the development of and interactions among pivotal texts. Provides foundational knowledge of East Asian literature and culture and prepares students for further studies in East Asian topics.
Athena Title
Lit Foundations Asian Civil
Prerequisite
Experience engaging critically with literary or other texts and experience developing and expressing ideas in written and oral form.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to understand the diversity of East Asian literatures and cultures from ancient time up to the present.
Students will be able to discuss the dynamics of literary and cultural productions from interdisciplinary perspectives.
Students will be able to describe and discuss intelligently those written and visual texts studied in class and how they relate to broader discourse such as nation-state building, social construction, culture preservation and reconstruction, cultural identity, heritage, gender, love, power, etc.
Students will be able to develop, support, and express ideas in written and oral forms using language with clarity and precision in coherent, cohesive essays, and/or oral presentations.
Students will be able to synthesize competing positions into an original argument supported by textual evidence.
Students will be able to interpret the formal, aesthetic, and creative elements of literary, cinematic, and cultural texts and the social and historical contexts in which they circulate.
Students will be able to investigate, analyze, synthesize, and demonstrate knowledgeably and coherently, in written and oral forms, the relationships between literatures, films, and cultures.
Topical Outline
TOPICAL OUTLINE
1. Chinese Mythology
2. Living Myths as Intangible Cultural Heritage
3. Myth, Ritual, and Religion
4. The Creation of the Culture
5. Myth Making and Social Construction
6. Myth and Science
7. Myth of Disenchantment
8. Myth and Sacred Geography
9. The Interactions between Humans and Animals: The Cult of Fox
10. Myth, Philosophy, and Psychology
11. Buddhism, History, and Literature: The Journey to the West
12. Buddhism and Family Relations: The Legend of Miaoshan
13. Buddhism, Gender, and Arts
14. China’s Four Great Folktales and Mulan
15. Love and Romance in Drama I: The Story of the Western Wing
16. Love and Romance in Drama II: The Peony Pavilion
17. Boys Love Literature, Media, and Culture
Institutional Competencies
Critical Thinking
The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.
