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Introduction to Chinese Culture and Civilization

Course Description:

This course will provide an introduction to major concepts and ideas from Chinese cultural traditions to construct a course inquiry into understanding Chinese culture and society. A guiding principle in this course inquiry will be to investigate the past to help inform the present.   Lectures and discussion will examine key concepts from art, history, language, literature, and thought that greatly shaped, and continue to influence, “Chinese” cultural and geopolitical entities.

This course is an introduction to South Asian cultures and histories, especially to areas of study pursued in the Department of Asian Studies and at UT-Austin. Students will be introduced to major thinkers, ideas, histories, issues, and movements of South Asia. While a clear set of factual information will be integral to the course, the equally important goal of the course is to learn how to engage South Asia on terms similar to other courses in the liberal arts. Stated plainly, we want to do more than learn about South Asia; we want to learn from it as well.  The institutional and traditional obstacle to this approach stems from the simple fact that most American students, whatever their ethnic origins, are taught that “our” intellectual heritage begins with the Greeks and ends with contemporary European and American thinkers. Who “we” are and what makes us a “we,” however, is not as clear as it seems. Most of us are simply not taught how and why to understand South Asian (or other area) literatures, art, religion, law, or other cultural expressions as sources for our own humanistic and ethical development. Thus, the primary goal of this course is to train students in how to “read” South Asia in such a way that it can mean something to them, rather than merely being what other people do—not to make South Asia “ours,” but to take the ideas, history, and people of South Asia seriously.

This course surveys the emergence of modern China from the nineteenth century to the present, covering the Qing dynasty, the Republic (1912-49), and the People's Republic (since 1949). Beginning with a review of the intellectual, economic, and sociopolitical trends in imperial China, it examines the rise of nationalism and the challenge of modernization in the midst of dynastic decline and foreign threats in the nineteenth century. Its coverage of the twentieth century emphasizes the struggles between the Nationalists and Communists for the making of a modern state and their experiments of contrasting political schemes. The course further examines recent changes in the post-Mao era, focusing on economic and political reforms as well as China?'s ongoing integration into the global system.

Textbooks:

Huaiyin Li, The Making of the Modern Chinese State, 1600-1950 (Routledge, 2020)
Kerry Brown, China (Polity, 2020)

Grading:

Four quizzes: 5% each Mid-term: 40% Final exam: 40%

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This course introduces students to the history of the Indian subcontinent from approximately 1500 to 1750. In this period substantial part of South Asia was ruled by the Mughals, whose splendor introduced the word ‘mogul’ to the English language. The Mughal empire declined in the early 1700s and was gradually replaced by the British from 1750 onwards. We will study the political formations of the Mughals and other regional dynasties, cultural, religious, and socio-economic history of this period. Along with secondary scholarly works, students will engage with primary sources such as memoirs of the prominent royal women, and the stories told by awe-struck European visitors. The class will induce students to analyze and evaluate primary sources and encourage a critical reading of history.

Learning Objectives:

• To familiarize students with geography, prominent personalities, chronology, basic concepts, and the highlights of the history of South Asia.
• To encourage the critical reading of history.
• To teach how to read, analyze, and differentiate between the primary and secondary sources.
• To encourage the students to reflect on how history is remembered.

Readings:

1 Catherine Asher and Cynthia Talbot, India Before Europe, Cambridge, 2006.

2. Ruby Lal, Domesticity and Power in the Early Mughal World, Cambridge, 2005.

3. Gulbadan Begam, The History of Humayun, translated by Annette Beveridge, 1902 (available online at https://books.google.com/books?id=N7U51eZlJk0C&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&dq=memoirs+of+gulbadan+begam&hl=en&source=newbks_fb#v=onepage&q=memoirs%20of%20gulbadan%20begam&f=false)

4. Jahangir, The Jahangirnama: Memoirs of Jahangir, Emperor of India, translated by Wheeler
5. Thackston,1999.

5. Sumit Guha, “The Mughal India: economy, resources, and governance” In Oxford Handbook of the Mughal World, edited by Richard Eaton and Ramya Sreenivasan, 2020.

Grading:

Participation                     20% (including quizzes, short response papers, and class participation) Essay 1                              20% (6-8 pages)
Essay 2                              20% (6-8 pages)
Film review                       10% (3-4 pages)

Final essay                         30% (8-10 pages)

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[This course is open to all students – no previous background in Chinese language, culture or linguistics is required.]          

Against the backdrop of China’s prominent international status and increasing global interest in the Chinese language, this course will delve into an in-depth study of the Chinese language and culture, including discussion of Chinese regional cultures and dialects.  Course emphasis will be given to the study of the modern Chinese language, with consideration given to the language spoken in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.  Cultural and political contexts of these geopolitical entities will be explored in order to understand emerging differences of all that falls under the common nomenclature of “Chinese.”  Lectures and discussions will focus on the cultural, social, historical, and political background against which the Chinese language has evolved and continues to evolve.  Of significance will be assessment of the increasing influence of usage of the English language and the Internet in China and Taiwan. Given China’s increased foreign interaction, this course will also include a discussion of the history of translation of the Chinese language into different languages, In this context, translation theories and approaches will be studied and discussed.  

Students will engage in a final project that will apply translation theory to practice.  This final project will be:  1) a translation project from a foreign language into English; or 2) a comparison of different English-language translations of the same original language source.

NOTE:  This is not a course for training in translation or interpretation.

Course Topic Sections:

• Section I – The Chinese Language (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan), Dialects, Minority Languages of China
• Section II – Language and Culture: Language Attitudes, Cultural Usage and Habits
• Section III – Translation Theories and Approaches, Global Influence of English

 Course Grade based on:                             

1. 15% Class discussion, participation, and preparation, including informal in-class and online (Canvas) response writing

2. 50% Reading and Discussion Questions (“response quizzes” on lectures, readings, discussion)

3. 10% One Oral Presentation/Lead Discussant Work on Section I or II topic

4. 25% Final Project Report on translation theory and practice (5-7 pages) and Oral Presentation on Final Project        

 Required Reading Selections on Canvas include:

Peter W. Culicover and Elizabeth V. Hume, Basics of Language for Language Learners

John DeFrancis, The Chinese Language – Fact and Fantasy

Edwin Gentzler, Contemporary Translation Theories. Revised 2^nd Ed. (Topics in Translation, 21)

Charles N. Li and Sandra A. Thompson, Mandarin Chinese – A Functional Reference Grammar

Lydia Liu, ed. Tokens of Exchange: The Problem of Translation in Global Circulations (Post-Contemporary Interventions)

Jerry Norman, Chinese                                              

Robert Ramsey, The Languages of China (Princeton 1987) Morry Sofer, The Translator’s Handbook, 6th Revised Edition (Translator's Handbook)

Lawrence Venuti, The Translator’s Invisibility: A History of Translation. 2^nd Ed.

Recommended:

Doug Leshan, A Handbook of English-Chinese Translation (Commercial Press 2002)

Morry Sofer, The Global Translator's Handbook (Taylor Trade Publishing, 2013)

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Individual instruction for Asian studies majors and nonmajors. Discussion, research, and the writing of papers about various general and specialized Asian subjects.  Prerequisite: Six semester hours of coursework in Asian studies and
written consent of instructor on form obtained from the undergraduate adviser.

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Spring 2021 Focus:

Traditional "Genre of the Strange” fiction (zhiguai) and the contemporary genre of Chinese science fiction

Please check back for updates.  Prerequisite: For Asian studies and Asian cultures and languages majors, twelve semester hours of upper-division coursework in Asian studies or Asian languages; for others, upper-division standing.

This graduate seminar examines the construction of religious identity in premodern South Asia. We will discuss how individuals and communities defined their identities as ‘Buddhists’, ‘Brahmins’, ‘Jains’, ‘Muslims’, etc. (or particular variants of such traditions) in certain moments in history. Key questions are: How do the actors handle the existence of truth-claims and religious practices that they perceive as different from their own? How do they draw boundaries between ‘us’ and ‘them’? What rhetorical methods do they employ in defining insider-outsider relations (rational arguments, polemics, negotiations, etc.)? Are categories such as ‘missionary activity’, ‘religious market’ or ‘conversion’ useful for the analysis of South Asian religions? Which types of motivation (religious, economic, political, etc.) for drawing religious boundaries exist in particular historical situations? How does a person’s (or group’s) religious identity relate to their other identities (class, gender, ethnic, linguistic, etc.)?

HIS 381 - Gender and Decolonial Histories
Indrani Chatterjee, Professor
Judith Coffin, Associate Professor

Our goal in this course is to both historicize and pluralize regimes of gender: in other words, to understand that those regimes vary, often quite starkly, across and within cultures and change historically due to a variety of circumstances. Decolonizing gender in the present global context implies re-investigating plural epistemologies (ways of knowing), ontologies (ways of being, identifications and identities) and practices that gender histories of labor, love, sex, slavery, and family. We will investigate different forms of accommodation, confrontation, and appropriation within and across cultures and times stretching from pre- through post-colonial centuries.

This is a dual-track (reading and research) graduate seminar. Every student will follow the same track for the first 10 weeks. After that, each student will follow a path specific to either a reading track or a research track.

Those who choose the reading track will develop a historiographical final essay (see FAQs at the end of the document) made up of between 5 books or 10 articles, or a combination of these. At least 2 articles and 1 book in this combination should be from readings not included in this course. We recommend this track for early graduate students who want to prepare a preliminary review of literature on a theme that interests them.   

Those who choose the research track will use this opportunity to use some particularly significant primary archives or documents to chart part of an eventual chapter or research proposal.  


FIRST REQUIREMENT: Choose a track.

Reading Track Students: Complete all the required reading and attend all classes. For 6 class meetings (of your choice), write brief reviews of 2-5 pages for 5 marks each (6x5=30). On any one day in the syllabus, lead a class discussion (10). Participate actively in enabling your peers’ discussions (10). As a final project, reading-track students write a historiographic essay of 10-15 pages on a topic developed in conversation with the professor (50).  Finalize topic by Week 5 at the latest. Everyone gets Week 14 off to finish draft of the essay, which will be presented in class for feedback on last class day. Final drafts will be handed over on last day of class to the instructor.  
Research-track students: Attend at least ten classes, completing the assigned reading for those weeks. For 5 of those classes, write brief reviews of 2-5 pages for 5 marks each (5x5= 25). Choose one week when readings are most relevant to your area of interest and lead the class, including in your discussion of the readings an oral presentation in brief relating your own research interest to the reading (for 15 marks). Additional marks depend on your enabling your peers’ learning and discussion. (10). As a final project, write a research paper of 15-20 pages on a topic of relevance to your research proposal (50). Everybody gets Week 14 off to finish a draft of a final essay, which will be presented to peers in class, and then handed over to the instructor on the last day of class.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS COMMON TO BOTH TRACKS:
Though the reading list is currently incomplete, we look forward to teaching and discussing the following books:
1)     Khaled el-Rouayheb, Before Homosexuality in the Arab-Islamic World, 1500 – 1800, University of Chicago Press, 2009, pp. 1-12, 53-110.
2)    Francesca Bray, Technology, Gender and History in Imperial China: Great Transformations Reconsidered. 2013 pbk ISBN 9778-0-415-63959-0
3)    Cynthia Eller, Gentlemen and Amazons: Myth of Matriarchal Prehistory 1861-1900. 2011. ISBN-13: 978-0520266766/ ISBN-10: 9780520266766
4)    Devesh Soneji, Unfinished Gestures, UChicago, 2012. ISBN-10: 0226768104
5)    Glenda Gilmore, Gender and Jim Crow. Chapel Hill: UNC Press. 1996.  ISBN 0807845965
All other readings will be available on Canvas OR through the PCL. It remains the students’ responsibility to ensure they keep up to date with the syllabus and course requirements.


GRADING: This Course will use A, A-, B+, B. Graduate course work should not qualify for a C or lower. 20% of all graduate course work can be taken for Pass/Fail grade as well. If you choose this option for this course, you should find out the date by which you are required to register this option with your department’s graduate office. Making this decision does not exempt any student from the requirements of reading, writing and speaking as part of course-work.

Study of various Asian studies-related topics that do not focus on any single geographic region.  Specific offerings are listed in the Course Schedule.  Prerequisite: Graduate standing; additional prerequisites vary with the topic and are given in the Course Schedule.

Study of various Asian studies-related topics that do not focus on any single geographic region.  Specific offerings are listed in the Course Schedule.  Prerequisite: Graduate standing; additional prerequisites vary with the topic and are given in the Course Schedule.

Migration is one of the most widespread of human experiences yet generates tremendous conflicts and contradictions in constructions of identities, communities, and inequalities of power.  Perhaps the chief systems of differentiation troubled by migration are those of racial categorizations and nation-state formations. This reading seminar guides graduate students to develop a vocabulary and conceptual understanding for migration studies and its interventions into nation-based conceptual frameworks through transnational, diasporic, critical race, and ethnic studies projects.
 
This course fulfills the core course requirement for the portfolio in Asian American Studies with completion of the syllabus assignment.


Texts:
READINGs from Aihwa Ong, Melissa Brown, Mae Ngai, Adam McKeown, Philip Kuhn, Wang Gungwu, Natalia Molina, Madeline Hsu, Eiichiro Azuma, Vivek Bald, Lisa Lowe, Elaine Lynn-ee Ho, among others. 


25 % Class participation and attendance
10 % Historiographical class presentation
30 % Two 750-word book reviews
35 % Annotated bibliography or syllabus for “Introduction to Asian American History” course

Study of various Asian studies-related topics that do not focus on any single geographic region.  Specific offerings are listed in the Course Schedule.  Prerequisite: Graduate standing; additional prerequisites vary with the topic and are given in the Course Schedule.

In this graduate seminar we dive into the rich world of pre-modern Islamic humanities, exploring the traditions that formed the culture of an educated Muslim (almost-always) man. Students will familiarize themselves with Arabic writings ranging from linguistics and logic to literature, history, poetic criticism and adab – a category that defies modern classification but includes discussions of poetry, language and theology. Texts include Sibawayh, Jahiz, Tawhidi, Ibn Rashiq, Farabi, Avicenna, Jurjani, Ibn Khaldun, and more. Prerequisite: three years of Arabic at the university level (two years with instructor’s permission).

Evaluation: Attendance and participation: 30%, Presentations: 20%, Final paper: 50%