CHIN325 (002) Major Chinese Writers (Taiwan)
TR 10:30 am -- 11:45am Robinson Hall A107
Spring 2009
Instructor: Dr. Esther Tsuey-fen Lee
email: tleeo@gmu.edu
office hours: TR:12:00 – 12:30 or By Appointment
Thompson Hall 131
Course Description and Objectives
The objective of this course is to introduce to students an in-depth overview of the literary works produced by selected major writers in Taiwan through a history of colonization, stabilization and changes of political hegemony, and economical as well as cultural transformation. We will first discuss about the contesting concept and definition of Taiwan literature and how we approach its works so that we will appreciate them beyond its regional scope. Our goals is first, to understand contents and issues presented in these works, such as the intricate negotiation between the Japanese colonizer and the local intellectual, the nostalgia of the mainland émigré writers, influence of modernism from Europe and America, the native soil consciousness for the socially disadvantaged, and pluralistic and liberal voice in the multi-cultural and postmodern era. Secondly, regardless of the unique social and cultural circumstances in Taiwan, we would like to read in Taiwan literature the universal experience of people reacting to the larger than life entity: tradition, political establishment, colonialism, imperialism and we would like to find the diversity and artistry as we do in appreciating any set of world literature. In terms of genre, we will study fiction, short stories, and few selected poems. We will also conduct few film screening in class to initiate students in their understanding of the political and social backgrounds and their imprints in the ordinary lives of Taiwanese people as represented in the works to be studied in this course.
Required Readings
The Taste of Apples by Hwang
Chun-ming. Trans. Howard Goldblatt, Columbia
Univ. Press, 2001.
The Butcher's Wife by Li Ang. Trans. Howard
Goldblatt & Ellen Yeung. San Francisco: North Point Press, 1986.
Orphan of Asia by Wu Cho-liu . Tr. by Ioannis Mentzas. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005
E-Reserve at GMU Library
Course Requirements/Expectation
1. Attendance. Students are expected to attend all classes and to be on time. No exceptions will be made. For any unexpected emergency, you need to have proper documentation for the instructor. Any unexcused absence will incur negative 1 point to your final grade. An attendance sheet will be passed out for you to sign in at the beginning of each class session.
2. Preparedness and participation in Class
Discussion. This course is designed as a place for discussion and exchange
of ideas; your participation in classroom discussion is very important for the
success of this course. All students
are expected to complete scheduled reading assignments and participate actively
and congenially in discussion. Students
should be prepared to share with the class reading experience – favorite
quotes, questions in your reading of the assigned stories. All curious and
critical questions will always be welcomed and respected.
3. Midterm and Final Exams. There will be one in-class mid-term exam and one take-home final essay exam. The topics for the final exam will be distributed at our last class meeting; each essay should be at least one page long, typed (300 -500 words).
4. Term Paper.
The final paper for this class is open topic ; you can choose any topic relevant to Taiwan literature and based on your interests
in particular author and his/her works that we study in class. This is not a
research paper: the nature of the assignment is a close, detailed analysis
of an aspect of a novel, one or two stories, and the more tightly defined the
topic is, the better. Make sure you support your points with specific textual
references (do not rely on plot summaries for supporting your ideas).
The length of the paper should be 7-10 double-spaced pages. Please have a
one-paragraph written outline of your paper topic, choice of stories and thesis
submitted to me for approval by April 16, 2009; it will help you
articulate what you plan to do in your paper. Papers are due without
exception by April 28. Please submit them in hardcopy form in class.
5. Reading Journal (Response). Students are required to keep a reading response journal in
which they a) record their reactions, thoughts, and questions regarding the
texts, b) consider the texts’ literary elements, such as language, style,
form, narrative strategy, narrative voice, as well as the texts’ possible
theme(s) and purpose, or c) focus on and discuss one passage, paragraph, or
sentence that particularly draws the reader's attention (whether in a positive
or negative way). Students should be able to illustrate all their observations
and comments with examples.
In order to guide students’ responses, the instructor might
suggest more specific questions to consider when reading the assigned texts.
Keeping a response journal is beneficial to the reading process as well as to
articulating thoughts and reactions to the text. It also provides a solid basis
for productive classroom discussions.
Here are the minimum requirements for the reading journal:
6. Presentation and Discussion
Leader. You will sign up individually or pair-up with another fellow
student as a class discussion facilitator(s) for one class session – roughly
about 20 minutes for each presenter. Your responsibility includes helping
prepare the class for discussing the new reading by covering the biographical
information about the author, cultural or historical context of the writing, elements
of literature in the novel/stories/poems, generating discussion questions to
engage the class in discussion, presenting your evaluation of the
book/story/poems, or interesting or contrasting critiques on the literary text.
Students must meet with instructor
one week in advance of the presentation, having prepared a rough outline for
the presentation. You are encouraged to use visual aids or show video
clips relevant to issues and topics of the discussion. The presentation is graded on content, effectiveness of
presentation (that is, your presentation is creative, planned, and organized),
handouts, and discussion questions (to be submitted to instructor two days
in advance).
Grading
To achieve a satisfactory grade
for this course is not hard; all it requires are regular attendance, thorough
preparation of reading and writing assignments in a timely manner, active participation
in classroom discussions, and the upkeep of a reading response journal.
Class Participation: 20%
Presentation and Discussion Facilitator: 10%
Midterm exam: 15%
Final Exam: 20%
Term paper: 20%
Reading Journal: 15 %
Each unexcused absence -1%
Class Policy
* If you have to miss a class, contact a
classmate to catch up on notes and announcements.
E-mail addresses of two classmates who are
willing to share their notes with you:
•
___________________________
•
___________________________
* All due dates
are indicated in the syllabus, so plan ahead. No extensions will be granted for
all writing assignments and exams except with a proper doctor’s notes.
* Please keep Respectful and Proper Classroom
manners:
§ Please come to class on time and do not disrupt the class by coming late. And do not leave classroom early unless you ask to be excused before the class.
§ Turn off your cell phones; do not use any electronic gadgets, such as iPod or MP3 or iPhone …etc. during class.
§ Do not conduct private conversations or pack up books and papers while the instructor or other students are speaking.
* If you feel
that something about the classroom environment hampers your intellectual
development in any way, big or small, please alert the instructor as soon as
possible. I will do
my best to respond constructively to your concerns.
*Honor Code
The George Mason University Honor Code is in effect throughout the entire duration of the course and applies to all course work carried out inside and outside the classroom.
Schedule, Topics,
and Readings
(Subject to minor changes during the semester)
Week 1
1/20 (Tuesday) Inauguration day-- class cancelled
1/22 (Thursday)
Week 2
1/27 (Tuesday)
Prepare reading
journal on Taiwan (issues, culture, history, or “Tug of War”)
1/29 (Thursday)
Week 3
2/3 (Tuesday)
2/5 (Thursday)
Presenters: ______________________; ________________________
Week 4
2/10 (Tuesday)
2/12 (Thursday)
Presenter: _________________________
Week 5
2/17 (Tuesday)
2/19 (Thursday)
Week 6
2/24 (Tuesday)
2/26 (Thursday)
Week 7
3/3 (Tuesday)
Presenter(s):
_________________________; _______________________
3/5 (Thursday)
o The Nativist Movement – critiques on modernization and neo-colonialism (1970s) ; realism
Week 8
3/10, 3/12 Spring
Break
Week 9
3/17 (Tuesday)
3/19 (Thursday)
Week 10
3/24 (Tuesday)
Presenters:
___________________________; _________________________
3/26 (Thursday)
Presenters: _________________________; _________________________
o Gender and desire, women issues, women writers in Taiwan
o Presenter on “The Mulberry Sea” and “Ritual
of the Clay Idol” meet with the instructor
o Homework: reading “Flower Season” by Li Ang
Week 11
3/31 (Tuesday)
o
Journal entry submission (#8 on “Butcher’s wife”,
“Flower’s Season”)
4/2 (Thursday)
Presenter: ____________________________
Week 12
4/7 (Tuesday)
4/9 (Thursday)
o Class discussion: “Fin de Sie`cle Splendor” by Zhu Tianwen
o Homework: “Master Chai” by Zhu Tianwen (e-Reserve)
o Presenters on Taiwan’s aborigines’ culture
history meet with the instructor
Week 13
4/14 (Tuesday)
Presenter: ____________________________
o Class discussion: “Master Chai”
o
Reading Journal submission (# 10 on “Fin de Sie`cle
Splendor” and “Master Chai” )
o Homework:
reading “The Last Hunter” by Topas Tamapima (e-Reserve), and poems by
Monaneng (handout)
o
Term paper proposals/outline due
4/16 (Thursday)
Presenters: _________________________;
_______________________
o Aboriginal literature
o Historical and cultural aspects
Week 14
4/21 (Tuesday)
o Aboriginal
literature (continued)
o Discussion:
“The Last Hunter”, poems by Monaneng
o Comparison
with Northern American Indians
4/23 (Thursday)
o Wrap
up discussion on aboriginal literature
Week 15
4/28 (Tuesday)
o term paper due in class
o review
o course evaluation
o postmodern Taiwan in film
o (tentative)
screening, “Yi Yi” (directed by Edward Yang)
4/30 (Thursday)
o snacks from Taiwan in class (optional)
o (tentative) screening, “Yi Yi”
5/5 (Tuesday) – last day of class
o review for final exam
o distribute topics of the final exam essay questions
5/7 (Thursday)
Final Exam due by noon
Have
a great summer!