This course, taught in English, surveys an archive of seminal short fiction, novellas, novels, and poems that tell the story of China and the Chinese from the end of the Qing dynasty to the present. What has been the place of literature in China in the modern era? What vision of modern China do we find in its literature? How, moreover, does literature subvert the national narrative? Through literature as a window on the history of modern China, students will gain a better understanding of Chinese history and culture with regard to its social reform, revolution, war, cultural revolution, cultural revival, and economic growth.
4
UnitsOptional
Grading1, 2, 3
PasstimeNone
Level LimitLetters and science
CollegeMore takeaways than I expect. Inspirational lecture! Get ready to read literature material:).. Just quiz, paper and discussion.
I have to say that it’s a pleasure to take his class. He is so energetic and passionate and I can literally feel his heart for literature!
I really enjoyed Prof. Xu’s lecture, he makes the literature class so interesting. He is also really accessible at the same time, and we can reach him easily after every class. Prof. Xu cares about the students a lot, and he gives good feedback to our forum each week. Definitely take his class if you can!
Full effort in every lecture. (requires attendance tho but totally worth) He is one of the a few Professor that I had who is actually good at teaching. We have weekly forums and he interacts with everyone. He is so knowledgeable and friendly. The class has two papers taking up to 50% but as long as you do your reading and write its an easy A.
Really knowledgeable in his field and gives extremely interesting lectures. Grades by quizzes (very easy if you do the reading), 2 papers and participation. Easy if you put in some work. Would highly recommend!
Lots of reading, be prepared, and test questions were overzealous for an intro class, but very passionate. Overall, a must-take class if you want to get to know more about east asian modern history