| CODE | CHN2014 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Classical Chinese Literature | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 6 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit aims to provide the student with a thorough grounding of the philosophical and literary traditions of China in the pre-modern period until the end of Qing dynasty. The programme shall include the reading and analysis of time honored poets, such as Li Bai and Du Fu, philosophers like Confucius and Mencius, and historians, such as Sima Qian. This course will also include elements of language acquisition that entail reading and understanding Classical Chinese. Study-unit Aims: - Present to the students select literary works of major influential Chinese poets and thinkers from the Pre-Han period until the end of Qing dynasty; - Help students gain a thorough foundation of the various literary styles and genres used in classical Chinese literature; - Enable the students to understand and critically engage with Chinese historiography; - Expose students to Classical Chinese. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Develop a strong understanding of the characteristics of Classical Chinese literary genres; - Identify and discuss the historical-cultural contexts that are useful for the analysis of the texts examined in class; - Critically comment on the historiography of Classical Chinese Literature, namely the discourses, ideologies, and scholars that have shaped the discipline. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Read, comprehend, and analyse, mainly in English translation, Classical Chinese Literary works; - Understand and critically comment on phenomena related to the study of pre-modern Chinese literature and other important written records. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Levy, Andre. (2007) Chinese Literature: Ancient and Classical, Indiana UP. - Cai, Zong-qi. (2007) How to Read Chinese Poetry: A Guided Anthology. New York: Columbia University Press. Supplementary Texts: - Denecke, Wiebke, Wai-yee Li and Xiaofei Tian. (2017) The Oxford Handbook of Classical Chinese Literature (1000 BCE-900 CE). Oxford: Oxford University Press (Section 1-3, pp. 1-397). - Tanner, Harold M. (2010) China: A History (Volume 1): From Neolithic Cultures through the Great Qing Empire, (10,000 BCE - 1799 CE).Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing. - Confucius. The Analects. any other edition. - Cao, Xueqin. The Dream of the Red Chamber - any edition. - Wu, Cheng’en. Journey to the West – any edition. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Wei Chen |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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