Course: FLIT 151. Introduction to Modern Chinese Culture and Literature (3)
This course provides a survey of social and cultural patterns in modern China from 1911 to the present, focusing on the post-socialist period. Broad in scope, the course will examine the main areas of contemporary Chinese life: culture, visual arts, literature, politics, society, and the environment. In the realms of popular culture, literature, and film, it will show the performativity of everyday life, while paying great attention to state regulation and global influence. Through analysis and discussion, students will better understand the lived experiences of the Chinese people, as well as the causes and consequences of social inequality, social conflicts, and social change. Students will observe the influence of social structures and institutions on personal lives, as well as how individual and collective forms of action may in turn transform institutions and structures. Special attention will be paid to issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender, religion, sexuality, and other markers of social identity that impact life experiences and social relations. (Available for General Education, C1 Arts or C2 Humanities.)