CHI 3315 - Survey of Modern Chinese Literature

Credits: 3 hrs

This is an advanced literature course focusing on major modern and contemporary Chinese writers and their selected masterpieces from the end of the Imperial Era, Chinese Civil War until the contemporary Internet Literature. Selected authors include Lu Xun, Lao She, Shen Congwen, Zhang Ailing, Yu Hua, Mo Yan (Nobel Prize Literature Winner), and Ai Mi serve as points of departure for discussions on historical, cultural and social contexts, with special emphasis on the literary epoch, in which these exemplars of Chinese Literature were written. Students will view the related films clips for background information and to reinforce their reading and discussion. On completion of this course, in addition to their improved modern Chinese language skills, students should have a better understanding of what constitutes the Chinese ethos formulated by the Chinese people–as part of the world community – in their use of language, in their faith, beliefs and philosophical inquiry, in the various forms of literary expression, as well as through their own reflections on the merits and faults of Chinese culture and civilization.
Pre-requisite(s): CHI 2312 - Intermediate Chinese II, or permission of department
Latest Update(s) Approved by Academic Standards and Curriculum: December 13, 2016