Chinese Art and Architecture in Cross-cultural Contexts

Catalog description

This course is a research seminar that prepares the students for researching, translating, and critical writing in Chinese art and architecture in a cross-cultural context. The first half of the semester will progress with different topics, including, but not limited to, landscape paintings, Buddhist art, ceramics, and gardens and architecture. To tackle research questions and problems in these fields, the students will get familiar with Chinese collections of major international museums and online Chinese art and architecture databases. They have to discuss and debate over terms from Chinese primary sources translated into English. They will also present their critiques on scholarly works focusing on cross-cultural approaches and methodology. The second half of the course allows students to make progress on a research project. They may choose a specific cross-cultural issue in Chinese art/architecture or opt to critique a historian’s work from a cross-cultural perspective. Upon completing the course, the students will expand their knowledge in Chinese art and architecture from a global perspective and enhance research and critique skills to serve more humanistic disciplines. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above. language prerequisite: Intermediate II or Chinese native speaker. Fulfillment: GCS Major Requirement Chinese for Advanced Undergraduate Research or Language requirement course for Native Chinese Speakers for Advanced GCS Track.