Gender in Asian Literature

Catalog description

This course will examine the different ways in which gender is constructed through Asian literature, theatre, and film. It is intended to introduce students to the literature of Asia, foregrounding the ways in which gender shapes different types, or genres, of text, and how different genres of text in turn shape notions of gender. Our task in this course will be to discover the cultural underpinnings of historical and contemporary conceptions of gender, sexuality, and love. Inasmuch as we play out our gender roles our social life, this course will also serve to introduce students to the ways in which performance is embedded in the public culture of Asia. Throughout the semester, students will be required to apply the skills we acquire in our readings on theory to a broad set of materials, including authors from across the length and breadth of Asia. There are no prerequisites for this class and all readings are in English. This course is the same as