Introductory Topics in Asian Languages and Cultures (290-0-22)
Topic
Sinophone Feminisms
Instructors
Paola Zamperini
847/467-4593
1880 Campus Drive, Kresge Hall, Office 4-431
Office Hours: Varies quarter to quarter, please check with instructor.
Meeting Info
Harris Hall L28: Mon, Wed 11:00AM - 12:20PM
Overview of class
AY25: The aim of this course is to introduce the histories of feminisms and feminist consciousness in the Sinosphere, and to thus provide students with exposure to non-Western-centered cases of feminist struggles for human rights and social justice from the late nineteenth century to the present. To achieve this goal, we will analyze a variety of sources, including literature, films, and other media by authors and activists concerned with the lives and realities of Chinese women. In the course of our discussions, we will map our respective positionalities vis-à-vis the study of feminist engagements, histories, and actors in the Sinophone.
Throughout the quarter we will combine our engagement with primary and secondary sources to navigate questions like: How do we study feminisms within the remit of Chinese studies? What biases, legacies, and challenges do we need to contend with as scholars working (mostly) in the Anglophone outside of the Sinosphere? Who determines when and where Sinophone feminist engagements emerged? What disciplinary methodologies and tools do we have in our interdisciplinary toolbox that we can deploy as researchers and as teachers?
We will be joined in this enterprise by two exciting and distinct cohorts both virtually and in person. A series of guest speakers based in the USA, Europe, mainland China, and Taiwan who, in their roles as scholars and activists, will help us probe the contested claims about the births and birthplaces of Chinese feminisms, to engage, critique, and discuss both conventional and alter/native approaches to studying and teaching Sinophone feminisms in the Anglophone. We will thus have the opportunity, to engage in a dialogue with scholars like Barbara Mittler, Wang Zheng, Jia Tan, and others. For each of these lectures, we will share a virtual synchronous classroom with fellow classmates in Heidelberg University, who will attend an intensive version of this course over Summer 2024, also taught by Professor Zamperini. Our learning will thus help us build a collective, transcultural, and global community of thinkers and researchers, one that helpfully will continue long after the end of our course at the end of the Fall quarter.
Knowledge of Chinese and previous exposure to the course's topics, while helpful, is not required.
Learning Objectives
• Apply key theoretical concepts from the course to understand and analyze social issues related
to gender, sexuality, new media, social equity, ethics, and justice from a feminist perspective.
• Critically investigate, explain and analyze the readings and topics of the course in class discussion and writing assignments, and improve analytical skills in these two connected spheres.
•Reflect on questions of location and privilege especially in relation to scholarship and activism.
• Integrate course insights into one's daily lives and cultivate activism about gender equality and
diversity that takes into consideration global, regional, political, historical, and cultural contexts.
• Understand the cultural logic of a time and place not our own
• Become an active part of a transnational, transcultural learning community that integrates scholars and peers in a variety of academic environments around the world, beginning with Heidelberg University
Teaching Method
Student-centered discussion and lectures
Evaluation Method
The final grade will be based on the following criteria:
-Active class participation (attendance, preparation, and discussion) 30%
-Assignments (writing statements, short papers, in class presentations, collaboration with peers, etc.) 35%
-Final Project 35%
Class Materials (Required)
All materials will be available on Canvas
Class Attributes
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area