Chin 461/561 HISTORY OF CHINESE LITERATURE
Beginnings to the Sixth Century
Autumn Quarter, 2021 (Distance/Remote Learning)
Syllabus[1]
Time and Place: TTh 1:30–3:20 PM PST; Zoom Meeting ID: 436 795 9317
Instructor: WANG Ping (Wang is the last name)
Office hours: Thursdays 3:30–4:20 PM PST; Zoom Meeting ID: 436 795 9317
Course Website for readings and announcements
https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1477172
Course description
Chin 461/561 is conducted as a seminar. In this course, we shall survey Chinese literary history from the earliest times, i.e., the eleventh-century b.c.e. to the sixth-century c.e. by focusing on the classical foundations.
Chin 461 is for undergraduate students whereas Chin 561 is for graduate students who are required to have proficiency in reading classical Chinese.
Learning Objectives
This course aims to teach students how to read and critically think about literature. Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Give a critical account of the history of Chinese literature;
- Become familiar with major genres and important literary developments;
- Recognize the works of renowned writers and representative genres/styles;
- Close read a primary text;
- Critically evaluate secondary studies;
- Develop a deeper appreciation for the Chinese language and culture.
Evaluations
2 Reading Reports 40%
Final Exam 50% (Friday, December 17th, 2:30–4:20 PM on Zoom)
Participation and Engagement 10%
Readings and Reading Reports
There are generally two types of readings assigned for this course: Primary Texts or Primary Sources and Secondary Sources.
Primary sources refer to those original writings and documents created or experienced contemporaneously with the period being studied. Primary sources allow readers and researchers to get as close as possible to the time, events, and their responses. Translations of original writings and documents are considered Primary Texts for this course.
A secondary source is a work that interprets, analyzes, or otherwise studies a primary text(s). A secondary source is the study of a primary text with the use of primary and secondary sources.
For 461 students, at least one of the two reports should be based on one or a set of Primary Text(s).
For 561 students, at least one of the two reports should be about a Secondary Source(s).
Follow the steps below to prepare for each reading report:
- Choose a text or source;
- Conduct a close reading of the text or critical analysis of the source;
- Design a report that takes no more than 15 minutes to present;
- Prepare handouts or google slides that contain key information and take-away points;
- Deliver your report in class by
- a) briefly but succinctly introducing the text or source (5 minutes);
- b) leading an interactive discussion on the text or source (10 minutes);
- Turn in a written report (500 words for 461 students, 1000 words for 561 students) on or before Friday, December 10 on Canvas; early submissions are welcome.
Call for reports scheduling is held at the end of each class.
Final Exam
The Final Exam, cumulative of the material/subject studied, will consist of short answer questions that pertain to the material covered in the assigned readings and class discussions. Sample questions:
Briefly summarize C.H. Wang’s article on early Chinese heroism. What does he mean by “ellipsis of battle”?
Identify the work from which the following lines come. Explain what the general meaning is.
At dawn I set to fare across the White Waters,
I climbed Mount Lang-feng, there tethered my horses.
All at once I looked back, my tears were streaming,
Sad that the high hill lacked any woman.
Explain the following names and terms:
Jian’an Literature, Tonal Prosody, Fu Poetry
Class Format
Chin461/561 is conducted in the format of a seminar. At every meeting, we devote time to discussing assigned Primary Sources as well as Secondary Sources. We begin each meeting with reading reports from students. After that, we cover assigned readings in an order of importance and interest.
To succeed in this course, i.e., to make the most out of this learning opportunity, you need to show up, keep notes, and ask questions. Last but not least, do the readings.
*Readings for each meeting are posted on Canvas and students should finish them before class.
Schedule
Thursday, September 30 Course Introduction
Tuesday, October 5 Early China Overview
Thursday, October 7 The Classics_01: Poetry
Tuesday, October 12 The Classics_02: Documents
Thursday, October 14 The Classics_03: Changes
Tuesday, October 19 Early Narrative
Thursday, October 21 The Analects and the Mencius
Tuesday, October 26 Laozi and Zhuangzi: What Is Daoism?
Thursday, October 28 The Songs of the South
Tuesday, November 2 The Shi ji 1: Biographies
Thursday, November 4 The Shi ji 2: Sima Qian and His Letter
Tuesday, November 9 Han Dynasty Literature
Thursday, November 11 Veterans Day
Tuesday, November 16 Han Fu Poetry 1_Sima Xiangru
Thursday, November 18 Han Fu Poetry 2_Ban Gu & Yang Xiong
Tuesday, November 23 Han Fu Poetry 3_The Scholar’s Frustration
Thursday, November 25 Thanksgiving.
Tuesday, November 30 The Chinese “Middle Ages”: Introduction
Thursday, December 2 Music and Poetry: Yue-fu
Tuesday, December 7 The Birth of a New Poetry
Thursday, December 9 Conclusion
*********
Final Grade
|
A+ 100%-97% 4.0 |
A 96%-94% 3.9 |
A- 93%-90% 3.8-3.5 |
B+ 89%-87% 3.4-3.2 |
B 86%-84% 3.1-2.9 |
B- 83%-80% 2.8-2.5 |
|
C+ 79%-77% 2.4-2.2 |
C 76%-74% 2.1-1.9 |
C- 73%-70% 1.8-1.5 |
D+ 69%-67% 1.4-1.2 |
D 66%-64% 1.1-0.9 |
D- 63%-60% 0.8-0.7 |
According to the university policy, “you may request an incomplete if you have successfully completed all course requirements up to the last two weeks of the quarter and have furnished proof satisfactory to the instructor that the work cannot be completed because of illness or other circumstances beyond [your] control.” There is no grading on a curve for this course. The final grades are determined according to the grading scale above and subject to further evaluation of your instructor.
Religious Accommodations Policy
“Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).”
Excused Absence from Class
Students are expected to attend class and to participate in all graded activities, including midterms and final examinations. A student who is anticipating being absent from class due to a Religious Accommodation activity needs to complete the Religious Accommodations request process by the second Friday of the quarter. Students who anticipate missing class due to attendance at academic conferences or field trips, or participation in university-sponsored activities should provide a written notice to the instructor ahead of the absence. The instructor will determine if the graded activity or exam can be rescheduled or if there is equivalent work that can be done as an equivalent, as determined by the instructor.
Academic Integrity
The University takes academic integrity very seriously. Behaving with integrity is part of our responsibility to our shared learning community. If you’re uncertain about if something is academic misconduct, ask me. I am willing to discuss questions you might have.
Acts of academic misconduct may include but are not limited to:
- Cheating (working collaboratively on quizzes/exams and discussion submissions, sharing answers and previewing quizzes/exams)
- Plagiarism (representing the work of others as your own without giving appropriate credit to the original author(s))
- Unauthorized collaboration (working with each other on assignments)
Concerns about these or other behaviors prohibited by the Student Conduct Code will be referred for investigation and adjudication by the office of Community Standards & Student Conduct (Schmitz 447, Box 355836, 206-685-6194, cssc@uw.edu)
Students found to have engaged in academic misconduct may receive a zero on the assignment.
Access and Accommodations
Your experience in this class is important to me. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please activate your accommodations via myDRS so we can discuss how they will be implemented in this course.
If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations. Contact DRS at disability.uw.edu.
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Major/Minor in Chinese
If you are interested in majoring or minoring in Chinese, go to http://asian.washington.edu/chinese-undergraduate-major (Links to an external site.) or http://asian.washington.edu/chinese-undergraduate-minor (Links to an external site.) for more information.
The Humanities Academic Services is now answering all questions related to undergraduate advising on behalf of the Department of Asian Languages and Literature. If you have questions about anything related to undergraduate advising - majors or minors, student registration, etc. please contact them at has-center@uw.edu.
Letters of Recommendation
Writing letters of recommendation on your behalf is at your instructor’s discretion. You should participate actively in class and/or visit her office hours to give her the opportunity to get to know you. If you need her to write a letter of recommendation and she agrees, please give her a copy of your resume, your unofficial transcript, and a brief statement on the position/program that you are applying for at least fourteen days before the deadline of your application. Please waive your right to see the letter. This will give the instructor the freedom to write honestly about you and will, in turn, incline evaluators to lend more weight to the letter.
[1] This instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus if and when necessary on pedagogical grounds.