C LIT 322 (VLPA)
Studies in Asian and Western Literatures

Beijing in Transition:
Through the Eyes of Filmmakers, Writers,
Artists and Urban Planners

QUESTION FOR FINAL PAPER AVAILABLE

How do we imagine the spaces in which we live? How does art change our view of urban space? Which images linger, and which erased? To examine these questions, we will read fiction, watch movies, and examine other artifacts that depict the growth of modern Beijing.

T Th 1:30-3:20 MGH 242; F 1:30-3:50 MGH 271

5 credits

Instructor:	Yomi Braester
	office: C-504 Padelford
	office hours: TTh and by appointment
	e-mail: yomi@u.washington.edu
	course website: http://faculty.washington.edu/yomi/urban2.html

Assignments
Policies and Procedures
Class Schedule

Assignments

Readings and film viewings:
All readings must be completed on time. Students are required to attend the Friday screenings.

Written assignments:
(1) Reading responses Students are required to hand in a typed reading response, one page long, for 12 readings, following a set of questions posted on the web (link will be added here). The responses should demonstrate familiarity with the text and the respective week's film. Point at passages of special interest to you! Each response is worth 2 points (total 24 points).
(2) Mid-term paper Due 11/9. The paper will be written on a given set of questions (link will be added here). The paper should be 3-5 page long and typed. To understand the expected quality, please consult my grading criteria. The mid-term is worth 26 points.
(3) Final paper Due 12/5. The paper will be written on a given set of questions (link will be added here) and should be 5-7 page long and typed. The final paper is worth 50 points.

Policies and Procedures

Late submissions must be pre-approved by the instructor or they will not be accepted. Extensions for reading responses, make-up classes, and extra screenings will be available only in very special cases, where the students can demonstrate circumstances beyond their control.
All assignments, except in-class commentary, must be typed. To ensure a standard length, please make sure to use Times New Roman font, size 12, double-spaced, with page margins not exceeding 1.25 inches on each side.
       The course strictly adheres to UW’s rules on plagiarism.
       Students with disabilities are encouraged to inform me, and I’ll do my best to provide the relevant accommodations.

CLASS SCHEDULE (subject to change)

week 1
9/ 30	Introduction
week 2
10/ 5	Discussion: The feel for the city
	Read for today (reading response #1):           Michael Dutton, Streetlife China, 196-235 (e-reserve);            Michel de Certeau, The Practice of Everyday Life (selection, e-reserve);            "Introduction," in Li Longyun, Small Well Lane (UW Bookstore)
10/ 7	Discussion: The theater of the everyday
	Read for today (reading response #2):            Li Longyun, Small Well Lane (UW Bookstore)
10/8	Screening: Feng Xiaogang, Big Shot’s Funeral (2001)
week 3
10/ 12	Discussion: Culture as capital
	Read for today (reading response #3):           Yunxiang Yan, “McDonald’s in Beijing" (e-reserve)           Jing Wang, "Culture as Leisure and Culture as Capital," Positions 9, no. 1 (Spring 2001) (UW libraries electronic journals)
10/ 14	NO CLASS
10/15	Screening: Mi Jiashan, The Troubleshooters (1987)
week 4
10/ 19	Discussion: The cultural gray zone
	Read for today (reading response #4):            Geremie Barmé, “The Apotheosis of the liumang” (e-reserve)
10/ 21	Discussion: Street wisdom
	Read for today (reading response #5):            Geremie Barmé, “Consuming T-shirts in Beijing” (e-reserve)
10/22	Screening: Jiang Wen, In the Heat of the Sun
week 5
10/ 26	Discussion: Countercultures
	Read for today (reading response #6):           Andrew Jones, Like a Knife, 115-143 (e-reserve)
10/ 28	Discussion: Street-smart history
	Read for today: Colin Mackerras, Peking Opera, 1-31 (e-reserve) Note: reading response #7 addresses the midterm!
10/29	Screening: Chen Kaige, Farewell My Concubine (1992)
week 6
11/ 2	Discussion: Memory and identity
	Read for today (reading response #8): Madeleine Yue Dong, Republican Beijing, 23-53 (e-reserve)
11/ 4	PAPER WRITING WORKSHOP
	Read for today (reading response #9):           Madeleine Yue Dong, Republican Beijing. 54-73 (e-reserve)
11/5	Screening: Wang Xiaoshuai, Beijing Bicycle (2000)
week 7
11/ 9	Presentations by Beijing Exploration Seminar students Screening: Grandpa Jing and His Customers
	No reading for today
	MIDTERM PAPER DUE
11/ 11	VETERANS' DAY
11/12	No screening today
week 8
11/ 16	Discussion: Cultural memory Dragon Beard Ditch
	Read for today (reading response #10): Lao She, Dragon Beard Ditch (e-reserve)
11/ 18
	Read for today (reading response #11):           Madeleine Yue Dong, Republican Beijing. 78-101 (e-reserve)
11/19	Screening: Zhang Yang, Shower (1999)
week 9
11/23	Discussion: The politics of urban planning
	Read for today (reading response #12):            Ian Johnson, "Dream of a Vanished Capital" (e-reserve)
11/25	THANKSGIVING
11/26	Thanksgiving - no screening today
week 10
11/ 30	Discussion: The city as palimpsest
	Read for today (reading response #13):            Yomi Braester, “Tracing the City’s Scars” (e-reserve)
12/ 2	TBA
11/26	Screening: Ning Ying, On the Beat (1995)
week 11	NO CLASSES
12/13	FINAL PAPER DUE