Chinese Culture Ii
A.Y. 2023/2024
Learning objectives
The course aims to offer several tools to understand contemporary China through familiarization with the country's historical, political and cultural developments, starting from the Opium Wars. We will first address crucial issues by focusing on the main changes in the intellectual scene and reflecting on the declinations of Chinese modernity. Following this, the crucial topic of the link between ideology and cultural production will be explored, presenting and discussing key canonical examples. Thereafter, the critical discourse on the evolution of the country's institutional set-up and the construction of identity will be brought forth, with prominent cultural trends explored against the background of contemporary and current political history.
Active participation in lectures, group work, use of multimedia material, conferences and seminar activities organized during the semester are considered an integral part of the course, as well as oral presentations and the drafting of research (the "dossier").
Active participation in lectures, group work, use of multimedia material, conferences and seminar activities organized during the semester are considered an integral part of the course, as well as oral presentations and the drafting of research (the "dossier").
Expected learning outcomes
1. Students will become familiar with:
a. Chinese historical and cultural issues, from the beginning of the modern era to the present.
b. events, actors, and key processes in the development of modernity and Chinese identity.
c. relevant cultural phenomena related to China' political history.
d. the concepts of "modern" and "contemporary" through currents, schools, and changes in the political context.
2. Students will become capable of:
a. moving intellectually and discursively across modern and contemporary Chinese cultural history.
b. articulating a conceptually and terminologically consistent critical discourse on the main evolutionary threads of the political, institutional, and cultural history of modern and contemporary China.
c. identifying research paths on relevant phenomena in the context of the construction of Chinese identity, in modern as well as in contemporary China.
3. With reference to the autonomy of judgment, students will be trained in:
a. problematizing and contextualizing the main cultural issues connected to the political and cultural history of the country.
b. highlighting the core elements of diverse historical-political phases and assessing their impact on cultural production.
c. critical awareness of the relationship between ideology and culture.
d. being able to select primary and secondary authoritative sources.
4. Students will enhance their communication skills to:
a. elaborate oral/written discourse with the use of specific concepts and terminology.
b. choose and critically comment on relevant texts.
c. interpret and critically reiterate primary sources.
5. Students will strengthen their ability to:
a. use learning tools and textual/multimedia processing based on cooperative activities.
b. meta-discursively reflect upon specific learning objects.
c. take advantage of the conspicuous research potential offered by the internet.
a. Chinese historical and cultural issues, from the beginning of the modern era to the present.
b. events, actors, and key processes in the development of modernity and Chinese identity.
c. relevant cultural phenomena related to China' political history.
d. the concepts of "modern" and "contemporary" through currents, schools, and changes in the political context.
2. Students will become capable of:
a. moving intellectually and discursively across modern and contemporary Chinese cultural history.
b. articulating a conceptually and terminologically consistent critical discourse on the main evolutionary threads of the political, institutional, and cultural history of modern and contemporary China.
c. identifying research paths on relevant phenomena in the context of the construction of Chinese identity, in modern as well as in contemporary China.
3. With reference to the autonomy of judgment, students will be trained in:
a. problematizing and contextualizing the main cultural issues connected to the political and cultural history of the country.
b. highlighting the core elements of diverse historical-political phases and assessing their impact on cultural production.
c. critical awareness of the relationship between ideology and culture.
d. being able to select primary and secondary authoritative sources.
4. Students will enhance their communication skills to:
a. elaborate oral/written discourse with the use of specific concepts and terminology.
b. choose and critically comment on relevant texts.
c. interpret and critically reiterate primary sources.
5. Students will strengthen their ability to:
a. use learning tools and textual/multimedia processing based on cooperative activities.
b. meta-discursively reflect upon specific learning objects.
c. take advantage of the conspicuous research potential offered by the internet.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The course consists of 30 lectures (60 hours) over one semester taught by the course professor ("the instructor"), organized around six different historical-political and cultural stages described as follows:
1. The first stage starts with the outbreak of the first Opium War and concludes with the end of the Nineteenth century, which witnesses the first attempts to reform the institutional structure of the Empire.
2. The second stage follows the main trajectory of the search for modernity, by approaching the fall of the Empire, the birth of the Republic of China, and the "New Culture Movement" at the beginning of the Twentieth century.
3. The third stage encompasses the "May Fourth May Movement", the construction of the Chinese Communist Party and its consolidation and interactions with the Nationalist Party, as well as the civil and international wartime scenes, up to the foundation of the People's Republic of China.
4. The fourth stage is devoted to the exploration of the developments in the national institutional set-up, ideological infrastructure, and Maoist propaganda system. Intellectual and aesthetic production from 1949 until the end of the Cultural Revolution will be addressed as well.
5. The fifth stage focuses on the political, intellectual, and cultural outcomes of the revolutionary period, from the beginning of the New Era to the post-New Era "Rupture" Movement, passing through the "Cultural fever". We will also investigate the politics of the Second and Third Generations of Chinese Communist Party leadership.
6. The last stage takes into consideration the other leaderships, the political and social challenges, as well as the cultural trends of the new millennium. At this juncture, the role of the media in China and their most current forms will be objects of discussion.
In addition to these lectures, conferences and seminars will be timely scheduled. Students are strongly advised to attend them.
1. The first stage starts with the outbreak of the first Opium War and concludes with the end of the Nineteenth century, which witnesses the first attempts to reform the institutional structure of the Empire.
2. The second stage follows the main trajectory of the search for modernity, by approaching the fall of the Empire, the birth of the Republic of China, and the "New Culture Movement" at the beginning of the Twentieth century.
3. The third stage encompasses the "May Fourth May Movement", the construction of the Chinese Communist Party and its consolidation and interactions with the Nationalist Party, as well as the civil and international wartime scenes, up to the foundation of the People's Republic of China.
4. The fourth stage is devoted to the exploration of the developments in the national institutional set-up, ideological infrastructure, and Maoist propaganda system. Intellectual and aesthetic production from 1949 until the end of the Cultural Revolution will be addressed as well.
5. The fifth stage focuses on the political, intellectual, and cultural outcomes of the revolutionary period, from the beginning of the New Era to the post-New Era "Rupture" Movement, passing through the "Cultural fever". We will also investigate the politics of the Second and Third Generations of Chinese Communist Party leadership.
6. The last stage takes into consideration the other leaderships, the political and social challenges, as well as the cultural trends of the new millennium. At this juncture, the role of the media in China and their most current forms will be objects of discussion.
In addition to these lectures, conferences and seminars will be timely scheduled. Students are strongly advised to attend them.
Prerequisites for admission
Candidates are expected to have passed the Chinese Culture 1 MED (K01) exam.
Teaching methods
Lectures (taught in Italian) and hosted seminars. During class, students are strongly invited to engage in active discussions with the instructor and classmates on relevant topics.
Participation in activities and events is strongly recommended. News and updates on events and teaching materials will be available on ARIEL.
Participation in activities and events is strongly recommended. News and updates on events and teaching materials will be available on ARIEL.
Teaching Resources
For Italian students (and students who obtained their high school diploma in Italy) who attend classes:
1) Alessandra C. Lavagnino, Bettina Mottura. Cina e modernità. Cultura e istituzioni dalle Guerre dell'oppio ad oggi. Roma: Carocci editore, 2016.
2) Guido Samarani. La Cina contemporanea. Dalla fine dell'Impero a oggi. Torino: Einaudi, 2017.
3) Lu Xun. Grida. Trad. it. di Nicoletta Pesaro. Palermo: Sellerio, 2021.
4) Elaborazione di una ricerca tematica a scelta dello studente ("dossier").
For foreign students who did not obtain their high school diploma in Italy:
1) Alessandra C. Lavagnino, Bettina Mottura. Cina e modernità. Cultura e istituzioni dalle Guerre dell'oppio ad oggi. Roma: Carocci editore, 2016.
2) Guido Samarani. La Cina contemporanea. Dalla fine dell'Impero a oggi. Torino: Einaudi, 2017.
Further materials will be recommended in class. All materials used will be published on the course website in a timely manner.
For students who cannot attend classes:
1) Alessandra C. Lavagnino, Bettina Mottura. Cina e modernità. Cultura e istituzioni dalle Guerre dell'oppio ad oggi. Roma: Carocci editore, 2016.
2) Guido Samarani. La Cina contemporanea. Dalla fine dell'Impero a oggi. Torino: Einaudi, 2017.
3) Gianluigi Negro. Le voci di Pechino. Come i media hanno costruito l'identità cinese. Roma: Luiss University Press, 2022.
4) Lu Xun. Grida. Trad. it. di Nicoletta Pesaro. Palermo: Sellerio, 2021.
5) Lao She. Il ragazzo del risciò. Mondadori: Milano 2019.
1) Alessandra C. Lavagnino, Bettina Mottura. Cina e modernità. Cultura e istituzioni dalle Guerre dell'oppio ad oggi. Roma: Carocci editore, 2016.
2) Guido Samarani. La Cina contemporanea. Dalla fine dell'Impero a oggi. Torino: Einaudi, 2017.
3) Lu Xun. Grida. Trad. it. di Nicoletta Pesaro. Palermo: Sellerio, 2021.
4) Elaborazione di una ricerca tematica a scelta dello studente ("dossier").
For foreign students who did not obtain their high school diploma in Italy:
1) Alessandra C. Lavagnino, Bettina Mottura. Cina e modernità. Cultura e istituzioni dalle Guerre dell'oppio ad oggi. Roma: Carocci editore, 2016.
2) Guido Samarani. La Cina contemporanea. Dalla fine dell'Impero a oggi. Torino: Einaudi, 2017.
Further materials will be recommended in class. All materials used will be published on the course website in a timely manner.
For students who cannot attend classes:
1) Alessandra C. Lavagnino, Bettina Mottura. Cina e modernità. Cultura e istituzioni dalle Guerre dell'oppio ad oggi. Roma: Carocci editore, 2016.
2) Guido Samarani. La Cina contemporanea. Dalla fine dell'Impero a oggi. Torino: Einaudi, 2017.
3) Gianluigi Negro. Le voci di Pechino. Come i media hanno costruito l'identità cinese. Roma: Luiss University Press, 2022.
4) Lu Xun. Grida. Trad. it. di Nicoletta Pesaro. Palermo: Sellerio, 2021.
5) Lao She. Il ragazzo del risciò. Mondadori: Milano 2019.
Assessment methods and Criteria
Assessment is based on an oral exam. In the discussion, space will be given to the ability to critically combine the contents of the course.
Class attendance, active participation, as well as group work and the elaboration of reports or short papers on films or conferences, are also duly taken into consideration for the final assessment.
Class attendance, active participation, as well as group work and the elaboration of reports or short papers on films or conferences, are also duly taken into consideration for the final assessment.
L-OR/21 - CHINESE AND SOUTH ASIAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Educational website(s)
Professor(s)