Core 7 - Intercultural Studies I - China
Core 7 Faculty
- Fred Berger - Communication
- Maia Hawthorne - English
- Charles Kerlin - English
- Chad Pulver - Psychology
- April Toadvine - English
- Jody Taylor Watkins - Anthropology (Director of Core 7)
- Peter Watkins - Political Science
Guest Lecturers
- Rachel Pulver - Physical Therapist
- Donald Mitchell - Philosophy (Purdue University)
Core 7 Required Texts
- Family - Chin, Pa. Prospect Heights, Illinois: Waveland Press, 1972
- China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power - Gifford, Rob. New York: Random House, 2008
- Ten Years of Madness: Oral Histories of China's Cultural Revolution - Jicai, Feng. San Francisco: China Books & Periodicals, Inc., 2001
- The Everyday Writer - Lunsford, Andrea A. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005
- Special Issue: China, Inside the Dragon - National Geographic Society, National Geographic. May 2008
- The Illustrated World's Religions: A Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions - Smith, Huston. San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1994
- Shifu, You'll Do Anything for a Laugh - Yan, Mo. New York: Arcade Publishing, 2003
Collegial Agreements
- You are required to attend all lectures.
- You are required to write a minimum of 15 typed pages during the semester, to include the following:
- a research-based role play paper. An assignment prompt, checklist and rubric are included on pp. iv-vii of this Syllabus.
- You will be held responsible for reading and lecture material through exams, quizzes, writing assignments or discussion.
- In addition, you will have a mandatory graded final exam or other project that requires your meeting during finals week. Further information will be forthcoming from your instructor.
See Core 7 Films and Common Writing Assignment & Rubric
Lecture and Reading Schedule
China: Public and Personal
Week One: August 18 - 22
- August 18 lecture - The Personal China - Jody Taylor Watkins, Maia Hawthorne and Charles Kerlin
- 1st discussion class: "Gilded Age, Gilded Cage" National Geographic (pp. 78-95)
- 2nd discussion class: "China's Olympic Nightmare", "China's Inside Games" from Syllabus
- August 22 lecture - The Public China - Fred Berger, Charles Kerlin
Shaping The Cultural Mindset: Religious & Secular Foundations
Week Two: August 25 - 29
- August 25 lecture - Confucianism and Family - TBA
- 1st discussion class: Illustrated World's Religions (pp. 99-121); Family (pp. 8-44)
- 2nd discussion class: Family (pp. 44-81)
Week Three: September 1 - 5
- No classes, Labor Day September 1
- 1st discussion class: Family (pp. 82-165)
- 2nd discussion class: Family (pp. 165-217)
- Tuesday, September 2 Film showing of Raise the Red Lantern, 6:30 pm, Courtney Auditorium
- September 5 lecture - The Traditional Family: Critique and Legacy - Jody Taylor Watkins
Week Four: September 8 - 12
- September 8 lecture - Buddhism - Donald Mitchell
- 1st discussion class: Family (pp. 218-268); Illustrated World's Religions (pp. 59-97)
- 2nd discussion class: Family (pp. 269-329)
Week Five: September 15 - 19
- September 15 lecture - Taoism - Donald Mitchell
- 1st discussion class: Illustrated World's Religions (pp. 123-143)
- Thursday September 18 Film showing of The Last Emperor, 6:30 pm, Courtney Auditorium
Week Six: September 22 - 26
- September 22 lecture - Maoism - Peter Watkins
- 1st discussion class: Ten Years of Madness (pp. 5-15, 33-59, 101-126)
- 2nd discussion class: Ten Years of Madness (pp. 17-31, 127-141, 171-179, 227-234); "Mao Now" National Geographic (pp. 100-101)
Week Seven: September 29 - October 3
- September 29 lecture - Deng's Reforms - Chad Pulver
- 1st discussion class: "Deng Xiaoping: A Political Wizard Who Put China on the Capitalist Road" from Syllabus
- Monday, September 29 Film showing of To Live, 6:30 pm, Courtney Auditorium
Contemporary Issues in China
Week Eight: October 6 - 10
- October 6 lecture - China's "Haves" - TBA
- 1st discussion class: China Road (pp. xiii-40); "Car Crazy" National Geographic (pp. 142-143)
- 2nd discussion class: China Road (pp. 41-75)
- Wednesday, October 8 Film showing of Shower, 6:30 pm, Courtney Auditorium
Week Nine: October 13 - 17
- October 13 lecture - China's "Have-Nots" - Peter Watkins
- 1st discussion class: China Road (pp. 76-111)
- 2nd discussion class: China Road (pp. 112-152)
Week Ten: October 20 - 24
- October 20 lecture - China's Ethnic, Religious and National Minorities - Jody Taylor Watkins
- 1st discussion class: China Road (pp. 153-193); "Beyond the Han" National Geographic (pp. 126-127)
- 2nd discussion class: China Road (pp. 194-226)
Week Eleven: October 27 - 31
- October 27 lecture - China's Health and Environmental Issues - Fred Berger
- 1st discussion class: China Road (pp. 227-272); "Bitter Waters" National Geographic (pp. 146-169)
- 2nd discussion class: China Road (pp. 273-296)
Chinese Culture
Week Twelve: November 3 - 7
- November 3 lecture - Holidays and Festivals - Maia Hawthorne
- 1st discussion class: Available on the Newsbank database and on library reserves (see instructions for accessing Newsbank on p. ii of this Syllabus): "2nd Ld: China set to shorten a 'Golden Week' and make traditional festivals legal holidays"; "Majority support China's plan to increase holidays, despite loss of golden week"; "Ching Ming a bow to rationality and tradition"; "Spring Festival a financial burden for some"; "Don't lose holidays to consumerism"; "The joy of restraint"; "Yes, Spring Festival is truly golden"
- 2nd discussion class: "Shifu, You'll Do Anything for a Laugh" from Shifu; "A Seat" from Syllabus
Week Thirteen: November 10 - 14
- November 10 lecture - Artistic Freedom - April Toadvine
- 1st discussion class: "Man and Beast", "Soaring", and "Iron Child" from Shifu; "Promotion Report" from Syllabus (appears after "White Tigers"); "Cutting Off Dissent" National Geographic (pp. 128-129)
- 2nd discussion class: "The Cure" and "Love Story" from Shifu
Week Fourteen: November 17 - 21
- November 17 lecture - Wuxia and Its Presence Across Genres Today - Maia Hawthorne
- 1st discussion class: "White Tigers" from Syllabus
- 2nd discussion class: "Shen Garden" and "Abandoned Child" from Shifu; "Purchase Request for a Kettle" from Syllabus
- Monday, November 17 Showing of a wuxia film, 6:30 pm, Courtney Auditorium
Week of 11/20 - No classes - Thanksgiving break
Week Fifteen: December 1 - 5
- December 1 lecture - Everyday Applications of Eastern Spirituality - Rachel Pulver
- 1st discussion class: "Learning From China"; "A Movement Toward T'ai Chi"; "For Some Chinese, Success in Life is a Name Change Away"; "The Feng Shui Kingdom"; all from Syllabus
Core 7 Internet Sources (links checked 05/09)
- The Everyday Writer Online - Several links for help with research and writing. This is the official "style guide" for the Core Curriculum.
- Library of Congress - Country Studies - contains a great deal of demographics information about countries throughout the world. See especially China.
- Buddhism - from About.com, is a site with many resources about Buddhism.
- U.S. Department of State - Organized in categories.
- U.S. Agency for International Development - U.S. trade statistics with China, and Taiwan are available at this site.
- U.S. Central Intelligence Agency - This site contains publications of the CIA, including World Fact Book, available in Publications.
- CNN.com - News from around the world, updated every few hours. Be sure to check out the link for Asia/Pacific. Be sure to also check on this CNN Special Report on Visions of China.
- Inside China Today
- Chinese Art - some interesting pieces of Chinese art.
- Chinese History and Philosophy Page - a rather interesting site with a number of good links to pages that might be helpful for research.
- WWW Virtual Library: Asian Studies
