Crimes, Detectives, and Justice in Chinese Culture

Catalog description

Crime stories have enjoyed long-lasting global popularity. How do these stories help us understand the shifting meanings of criminality, law, punishment, and justice across different times and spaces? What are the Chinese notions of crime and justice? How can these notions and ideas tell us about Chinese history and culture? This course explores the concepts and practices of criminal investigation and punishment throughout Chinese history. It guides students to examine a broad range of primary sources across textual and visual genres chronologically, from late-Imperial courtroom drama, detective fiction of the Republican period, spy comic of the Socialist time to contemporary legal films and crime thrillers. By adopting an interdisciplinary and comparative approach, students will also engage with studies on criminality, morality, law, justice, scientific investigation, and state control from historical, sociological, and philosophical perspectives in and beyond China. Throughout the course, students will understand how the concepts, practices, and representations of crime and justice continue and change throughout Chinese history and reflect on their profound impact on contemporary Chinese society. Pre-req: None. Fulfillment: CORE HPC/IPC; GCS Major: Chinese Media, Arts, and Literature.