Ghosts, Lovers, Heroes in Asian Literature
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the major genres of traditional and contemporary Asian literature including poetry, historical narratives, short story, novel, drama, and film. We will read translations of a number of literary masterpieces of China, Japan, Korea and India within a comparative context.
We will also examine the intertextuality between different genres, and between works from different cultural traditions. For example, we will examine how historical narratives and short stories were adapted into films; how fictions were reinvented in dramatic forms, and how ancient poetry inspired other literary works. Many of these influential literary and visual texts revolve around fundamental issues of cultural identity, passion, gender relations, romance, and sexuality.
Course Goals
Through individual and collaborative analytical exercises, students will become familiar with a number of critical terms used in literary analysis and become more sophisticated readers of Asian literary and visual culture.
Schedule
Week 1 Introduction: Asian Writing Systems and the Concept of Literature (wen)
Assignment # 1 due; first in-class quiz
Other quizzes throughout the semester will be announced one class prior to the quiz date).
Week 2 Traditional Poetry of Japan and China
The Book of Poetry
Japanese poetry of the Heian period, Kokin wakashu
Poetry of the Tang dynasty
Week 3 Historical Narratives - Traditional and Modern Forms (1)
Sima Qian, Grand Historian's Records
Assignment # 2 due
Library Session: Locating East-Asian Resources
Week 4 Historical Narratives - Traditional and Modern Forms (2)
Zhang Yimou's Hero
Oral presentations
Week 5 Imagining the "Other": Ghosts in Chinese and Japanese Stories (1)
Pu Songling, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio
Tony Ching Siu-tung's A Chinese Ghost Story (1987; Hong Kong)
Group performance
Week 6 Imagining the "Other": Ghosts in Chinese and Japanese Stories (2)
Yojiro Takita's Onmyoji
Oral presentations
Week 7 Traditional Asian Theatre and Its Modern Forms (1)
Introduction - What is stylized theatre? (video clips from Chinese Drama Training School & Farewell My Concubine)
Tang Xianzu's Peony Pavilion
Wang Shifu's The Romance of the Western Chamber
Assignment # 3 due
Week 8 Traditional Asian Theatre and Its Modern Forms (2)
Bengali literature
Bollywood musical
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas
Week 9 Spring Break
Week 10 Traditional Asian Theatre and Its Modern Forms (3)
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas
Group performance
Mid-term Review
Week 12 - 13: Family Value and Material Culture
Cao Xueqin's Story of the Stone[aka Dream of the Red Chamber]
Juzo Itami's Tampopo
Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman
Oral presentations
Week 14 Fusion of Traditional and Modern Modes of Narrative: Korean Cinema
Im Kwon-Taek's Chunhyang
Assignment # 4 due
Annotated bibliography due
Oral presentation
Week 15 Satirizing the Self-proclaimed Chinese Intellectuals
Qian Zhongshu's Fortress Besieged
Oral presentation and/or group performance
Week 16 Review: Self and the Other in Asian Literature
Final paper due
Course Requirements
Any form of dishonesty including plagiarism will not be tolerated, and will be prosecuted following the University regulations.
Attendance
Attendance and in-class performance comprise a significant part of your overall grade You will not receive any attendance credit if you come to class but are mentally absent.
Quizzes
A total of 5-7 quizzes based on assigned readings, lectures, and class discussions will be administered periodically. Quizzes will be announced in class one class prior to the quiz date. Quizzes will be given at the beginning of class, so it is important that you make it to class on time.
Written Assignments
Your written assignments include three in-depth response papers, one annotated bibliography, one report, and one major final paper. The one-page response papers should address, question, or complicate issues raised by the assigned readings. The annotated bibliography on your final paper topic, 5 entries minimum (no Googled results, no non-academic website entries), should have a 150-word (minimum) annotation for each entry.
The final paper should be a critical analysis (not a plot summary) of the works and their social contexts. The paper should follow the MLA style of documentation. Do not submit a paper you submitted to another class, or copy from your friend or any sources. More instructions about these requirements will be announced.
All written assignments should be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font, and submitted to the course folder on Turnitin.com, a plagiarism prevention tool. No emailed, hardcopy, or late papers will be accepted.
Oral Presentation and Group Performance
Each student is required to be involved in an in-class performance and an oral presentation. In groups of four, you will present a 15-minute performance of a scene from a play or a short story. One student from the team will do a short presentation on the team’s interpretation of the scene and its rationale for choosing the particular scene. On the day of performance, your team should hand in a list outlining the division of labor which typically includes “presenter,” “actor(s),” “scriptwriter,” “director,” etc. Each team member’s responsibility and contribution should be clearly marked.
In addition, in groups of two, you will conduct a 20-minute presentation and discussion, based on one of the assigned reading or topics covered in the week of his or her choice. The day before your presentation, you and your partner should submit a brief summary and bibliography via ANGEL.
Academic Integrity
Dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated in this course. Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, some common types of plagiarism such as cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating information, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, or submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor.
Resources Online
Annotated Directories of Internet Resources for East Asian Languages and Cultures
Asian Theatre & Performance Clips - Streaming Video Library - Association of Asian Performance
Kunqu Opera [in Chinese]
Chinese Opera [in Chinese]
History and Culture of Japan, Library of Congress
List of Asian Studies journals
Initiative of the East Asian Curriculum Project by Columbia University
Useful Links Related to Plagiarism
University Undergraduate Advising Handbook
College of Liberal Arts Academic Integrity Resources for Students
Statement by the Council of Academic Deans