| Unit name | Contemporary Global Chinese Literature and Visual Arts |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MODLM0050 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Li |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Modern Languages |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
The long, well-documented history and traditions of Chinese civilization have often entailed certain monolithic, homogeneous, and even politically motivated perceptions and understandings of Chinese identity. How might “China” and “Chineseness” be articulated differently in today's global Chinese cultural productions? This unit explores a range of literary and visual artistic works produced by contemporary writers and artists of Chinese origin or descent in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, France, the UK, and the US, who often have significant transnational experiences, multicultural upbringing, and multilingual competence. This is the only cultural unit in the Faculty that is dedicated to the study of Chinese and global Chinese literature and visual arts, introducing a global vision of contemporary Chinese literature, paintings, calligraphy, films, and art installations. All the core teaching material is available in English, prior knowledge of Chinese or Chinese culture is not required.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
As an optional TB2 unit for the MA in Comparative Literature and Cultures (MA CLC), this unit provides a specialised thematic focus. As for the objects and methods of enquiry, this unit builds on the research, analytical, presentation, and writing skills acquired through the two mandatory units in TB1 that cover general topics and critical issues in literary and cultural studies respectively.
An overview of content
This unit explores a range of literary and visual artistic works produced by contemporary writers and artists of Chinese origin or descent in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, France, the UK, and the US. It introduces a global vision of contemporary Chinese literature, paintings, calligraphy, films, and art installations.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
This unit will broaden your perspectives on Chinese identity formation. You will have a solid grasp of relevant theories and terminology to discuss how global Chinese (or, indeed, any cultural) identity may be understood as a translational process and examine how writers and artists engage with "Chineseness" as an open identity category, a creative opportunity to blend, renegotiate, and reinvent different cultural traditions in a global age.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Each week, you will have two consecutive hours of class in person, which typically combines elements of lecture, seminar, and workshop.
Lectures equip you with foundational subject knowledge. Far from being a passive mode of learning, lectures help you build critical analysis and evidence-gathering skills by modelling critical interpretation, outlining methodologies and their underlying assumptions, and posing key questions related to the discipline. There may also be interactive elements depending on the lecturer’s delivery style.
Seminars are a student-centred mode of learning. In pairs or small groups, you will discuss key questions about set texts and critical concepts. You will develop, share and defend your own arguments. Guided reading questions are provided to support your preparation for seminar discussions.
Workshops are dedicated to a specific skill, such as academic writing or textual analysis. Workshops are held occasionally in place of the discussion or seminar class, usually in advance of assessment.
Occasional asynchronous online tasks, including contributions to Padlets to cement your learning and enable your tutors to respond to your learning needs.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The two summative tasks convey a sense of progression in helping students develop research and analytical skills. It takes a scaffolded approach to the writing task from discussing one single work to a comparative study.
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MODLM0050).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
