Chinese Discourse

Catalog description

This course compares and contrasts discourse in China to that in the West. It examines the culturally similar and crucially different ways of creating, elaborating, and presenting the writer's ideas. Introducing the students to a culture at once similar to and different from their own, the course activates the students' implicit knowledge of their own cultural/discursive heritages and supplements that knowledge when necessary. Readings for this class include ancient and modern Chinese philosophical essays, literary works, and writings on both Chinese calligraphy and paintings in relation to Chinese thinking. All texts used are in English. Prerequisite: three credits in 200 level English courses. Offered Alternate Years.