College Seminar (101-7-20)

Topic

Dreamlands: Dreams in Chinese Culture

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

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-440: Mon, Wed 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

AY27 "The course will explore the world of dreams in pre-modern, modern, and, if time allows it, contemporary Chinese literature and culture. Beginning with Daoist and Buddhist sources, and proceeding in a chronological fashion, we will navigate the dreamscapes mapped by traditional oneiromancy, philosophy, poetry, drama, fiction, all the way to contemporary theatrical and cinematic discourse.
What do dreams mean? How does their language intersect with the language of faith, desire, gender, politics, power and fear? How similar and how different are our dreaming brains today from those of Chinese philosophers that lived three thousand years ago? Do cultural differences make us dream different dreams? These are just some of the questions that we will try to answer together during the course of the quarter.
In order to do so, we will look at the semantic, religious and aesthetic function of dreams in the changing world of Chinese culture, connecting our findings to recent discoveries in the fields of contemporary psychology, psychoanalysis and neuroscience. Where possible, we will also engage in comparison with dream-related practices and traditions in other Asian contexts, such as those of India and Tibet"

Learning Objectives

-Acquisition of knowledge about the study of dreams and dream culture in the field of Chinese studies in particular, and that of Asian studies and dream science in general. This will mean exposure to primary sources (in English(and for those students able to, in the original) produced by Chinese and other Asian authors, as well as to related secondary sources.

-Development of university level methodological skills in studying, reading, and analyzing the primary and secondary sources related to the course subject matter.

-Acquisition of an appreciation of the variance of expressions of dream culture and literature past and present, in China and beyond, at the national, regional, and global levels.
-Understanding the effects of cultural, political, social, and economic forces on dream culture, its representation and evolution in any given culture, past and present.
-Growth as independent researchers and writers in the field of Chinese studies, Asian humanities, and interdisciplinary research and scholarship.

-Growth as independent academic thinkers and writers.

Teaching Method

Lecture; discussion; presentations

Evaluation Method

Participation: 20% (This includes attendance, thorough preparation and reading of all assigned materials, and active participation in classroom discussion)

Assignments and responses: 25% (these include responses to readings and films, staged assignments in preparation of final projects, and so on)

Presentations: 20%

Final Project: 35% (the final project can be an analytical essay or a creative project)

Class Materials (Required)

All class material will be available on Canvas

Class Attributes

WCAS College Seminar

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: REASON: Pre-registration is not allowed for this class. Please try again during regular registration. Weinberg First Year Seminars are only available to first-year students.
Add Consent: Department Consent Required
Drop Consent: Department Consent Required