Chinese Culture I

The course offers a reflection on the specificities of contemporary Sinophone culture, both within and beyond the geopolitical borders of the People's Republic of China. Starting from the notions of "center" and "periphery," articulated in political, social, and aesthetic dimensions, a critical exploration of the diverse identity issues within the Sinophone universe will be unfolded. The course will adopt the perspective of Sinophone literary and cinematic productions to probe into some of the core themes of contemporary society, such as gender identity, situated at the margins of Chinese cultural hegemony. The intention is to provide the class with an overview of the complexity and polyphony of certain current cultural phenomena, as well as the conflicts with hierarchical structures of dominant discourse.
One of the primary objectives of the course is to stimulate critical, communicative, and research skills, including group work and discussions on selected topics.

Attending the course, the class will have the opportunity to exercise their learning abilities by examining complex texts, including those in the Chinese language, and enhance their communication skills through presentations and public discussions of written works and multimedia materials. The formation of critical thinking will be encouraged through discussions, debates, and the organization of conferences and meetings with guest speakers. By the end of the course, the class will:
- Have gained familiarity with the concept of "Sinophone" and its manifestations in the framework of the contemporary cultural context, within the field of Sinophone Studies.
- Have developed a critical awareness of some of the historical and cultural issues occurring within the contemporary Sinophone world.
- Be able to articulate a conceptually and terminologically competent critical discourse on the main themes of contemporary Chinese culture covered during the course.
- Be capable of assessing their reflection within the context of literary and aesthetic production.