This course is an overview of women's experience in modern and contemporary China through the eyes of Chinese women writers. Special emphasis is given on women's changing status in the family, on society's attitude towards women, and on women's self-awareness. Offered during Interim. Students study basic concepts and approaches of film analysis, while examining aesthetics, themes, and techniques of masterworks directed by Chinese Fifth Generation directors. Through readings of cinema theory and criticism and class discussions, students explore artistic merits in these films and aspects of Chinese society and culture in contemporary China, particularly the changes which occurred since 1978 with China's Four Modernizations.
All readings are in English.
This survey of Japanese novels and short stories from the middle of the 19th century to the present includes works by Soseki, Tanizaki, and two recent Nobel recipients, Kawabata and Oe. Women writers such as Ichiyo, Ariyoshi and Enchi are considered. Students will also view four or five films to supplement their readings. The course focuses on the cultural context of the writings. A small number of major works are singled out for close attention.