CHINESE

CHINESE

CRN	92321	Distribution	B/D
Course No.	CHI 101
Title	Beginning Chinese I
Professor	Li-Hua Ying
Schedule	Mon Tu Wed Th 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm LC 210

For students with little or no previous knowledge of Chinese. An introduction to modern (Mandarin) Chinese through an intensive drill of its oral and written forms. Emphasis on speaking and basic grammar as well as the formation of the characters. Audio and video materials will be incorporated into the curriculum to expose the class to Chinese daily life and culture. Daily active participation, frequent use of the language lab and one hour per week tutorial with the Chinese tutor are expected. Divisible.

CRN	92322	Distribution	B/D
Course No.	CHI 200
Title	Exile in Chinese Literature
Professor	Li-Hua Ying
Schedule	Mon Wed 3:00 pm - 4:20 pm LC 210

The subject of exile is featured prominently in Chinese literature, both in ancient and modern times. In this course we will examine poems, memoirs, and fictional works written about or by people who are forced into exile under conditions of political persecution or personal disgrace, or choose self-imposed exile as a means of seeking greater freedom or spiritual enlightenment. We will focus on how the theme of exile provides a space for exploring the interaction between the individual and the state, the self and the public, and the personal or fictional writing and the more public, historical issues of politics. Though the focus of the course will be on contemporary China, pre-modern texts will be studied to facilitate discussions on how the theme of exile continues, persists, or changes throughout Chinese history. Among the issues to be considered are the influence of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, the iconoclastic movements of modern China, and Chinese identity in a transnational era. Authors include poets/statesmen Qu Yuan (340? BC-278? BC) and Su Shi (1037-1101), and contemporary writers such as Yang Jiang, Bei Dao, Zhang Chengzhi, Zheng Yi, Gao Xingjian and others. Readings will be in English. No prerequisite.

CRN	92325	Distribution	B/D
Course No.	CHI 200 B
Title	Adventures in Taoist Thought and Religion
Professor	Bruce Knickerbocker
Schedule	Tu Fri 3:00 pm - 4:20 pm LC 118

Cross-listed: Religion

An introductory overview of the major trends and traditions in the history of Taoist thought and culture. This course aims to explore this rich heritage through an examination of Taoist philosophical discourse, religious movements, and techniques of meditation, longevity, and immortality. We will read the major texts of the Taoist classical tradition (Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Lieh Tzu, etc.), we will consider the rise of the shadowy "Huang-Lao" tradition, and we will also probe the development ofTaoist religion, considering such topics as its founding, rituals, festivals, immortals and deities, sects and scriptures. We will also examine some of the ways in which elements of the Taoist worldview have been carried over into such fields as government, literature, the arts and medicine. We will do close readings of primary source texts in translation, as well as read secondary historical and cultural studies. The course is primarily in discussion/lecture format, supplemented with audio-visual presentations. Although part of the fun of the course will be in learning about 25 Chinese characters, their meanings, pronunciations and calligraphy, the course will be conducted in English.

CRN	92323	Distribution	D
Course No.	CHI 201
Title	Intermediate Chinese I
Professor	Bruce Knickerbocker
Schedule	Wed Fr 11:30 am - 12:50 pm OLIN 107

This course is for students who have taken one year of basic Chinese, and who want to expand reading and speaking capacity and to enrich cultural experiences. We will use audio and video materials, emphasize communicative activities and language games, and stress the learning of both receptive and productive skills. In addition to the central language textbook, other texts will be selected from newspapers, journals, and fictional works. Conducted in Chinese.

CRN	92324	Distribution	B/D
Course No.	CHI 307
Title	Reflections of China in Literature and Film
Professor	Bruce Knickerbocker
Schedule	Tu Th 1:30 pm - 2:50 pm OLIN 303

With the primary goal of enhancing the speaking, listening, reading and writing skills of the third and fourth year Chinese language student, this course closely examines films from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, exploring through lectures and discussion such possible topics as the origins of traditional Chinese cinema, nationalism and revolution, the genre of social realism, the visual representation of contemporary and re-created historical themes vis-a-vis portrayals offered in literary and historical sources, the search for roots in the post-Mao era, nativist film and literature, the Fifth Generation and experimental fiction, Hong Kong popular culture in the commercial age, feminism and sexuality, and representations of exile, diaspora, and the new immigrants. Conducted in Chinese.