Undergraduate - UnitATS2039 - Understanding modern China

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2012 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Offered	Clayton First semester 2012 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Gloria Davies

Notes

Previously coded CHI2430

Synopsis

This unit will introduce students to the Chinese language as it is used in academic writing within the Chinese humanities. It will cover a range of key topics in the disciplines of literature, politics, history and cultural studies, as these are discussed and written about in English and Chinese. It will also examine and compare Chinese and Western styles of academic writing and research methods. Questions of translation, both linguistic and cultural, will be central to this subject.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be expected to have acquired:

A basic understanding of key features of modern Chinese intellectual history with reference to: East-West perspectives on Chinese Studies; May Fourth concepts of enlightenment, democracy, science and nationalism; the Cultural Revolution and the renewal of humanist values in post-Mao China.
Library and web-based research skills relevant to modern Chinese studies.
Translation skills (appropriate to the Chinese language ability of individual students) and an understanding of aspects of translation theory relevant to modern Chinese studies.
A good knowledge of the socio-political contexts of the evolution of modern Chinese thought in the twentieth century.
Skills of analysis and interpretation in the study of China through exposure to the textual sources used in this unit.