CHI 3309 - Comparative Cultures: Africa and China

Credits: 3 hrs

This course is a survey course designed to introduce students to key issues and debates on Africa-China relations. The upsurge of Africa-China contacts beginning in the 1950s has seen the growth of economic, commercial, investment interests in Africa by the Chinese as well as the exploitation of natural resources. What has lagged behind is the interest in cultural exchanges. How invested is China in understanding African cultures, and how knowledgeable are Africans of Chinese cultures? The course will focus on the cultural implications of the Afro-Sino contacts, and how the contacts undergird cross-cultural understandings. Through the study of literary texts, music, art, and film the course will compare and contrast African and Chinese cultural manifestations and also look at how cultural perceptions may impact decisions on bilateral relations. The broad thematic of the course makes it amenable to multiple theoretical applications/approaches and methodologies. The course will be taught in English and Chinese.
Pre-requisite(s): CHI 2312 or permisson of instructor
Area of Knowledge: Foreign Languages and Cultures
Curricular Theme: Globalization
Latest Update(s) Approved by Academic Standards and Curriculum: November 15, 2016