2025-2026

Remediate: 1) provide a remedy for, redress or make right 2) Restore by reversing or stopping environmental damage. See also remediation: “the formal logic by which new media refashion prior media forms.” (Bolter and Grusin 1999, 273) Synonyms: amend, rectify, remedy, repair. This class examines the various ways in which Chinese literature, cinema and media remediated the theorizations and representational practices of socialism during one of the most transformative periods of China’s twentieth century. Topics will include: the debates on socialist alienation; rethinking the division of labor and the rural-urban divide; cultural nationalism and culture fever; the role of art and aesthetics; linguistic rebellions; and cultures of protest. Materials in Chinese and English.

This course explores the styles and functions of Chinese independent documentary since 1989, with particular attention to the social and political contexts that underpin its flourishing in Mainland China and Taiwan. We will discuss the ways in which recent Chinese documentaries challenge current theories of the genre, how they redefine the relationship between fiction and non-fiction, and the problems of media aesthetics, political intervention, and ethics of representation that they pose. We will look at their channels of circulation in Asia and elsewhere, and will discuss the implications and limits of the notion of independence. Readings will include theorizations of the documentary genre in relation to other visual media and narrative forms, analyses of specific works, and discussions on the impact of digital media.

This course introduces “interregional art history” as an alternative to the dominant nation-state-based framework in the study of Asian art. The robust discourse on global art history in recent decades has generated a range of methodological approaches, including comparison, transnationalism, internationalism, regionalism, and the global contemporary. These approaches are also reflected in practice, as seen in artist-led collaborations, traveling exhibitions, and biennales. To capture the diversity of interregionalist thought and praxis, the course adopts a case study approach. Key themes include artistic engagements with Pan-Asianism, the 1955 Bandung Conference, Southeast Asian regionalism and ASEAN, Afro-Asia, Transpacific migration, the construction of the Third World and Global South, and the Asia Pacific Triennial (1993–present). While the course materials focus on East and Southeast Asia, students with diverse geographical interests are welcome. A significant portion of class time and assignments will be devoted to critically assessing the strengths, limitations, and future directions of global art history.

This course examines the most influential Chinese romantic comedy of all times, "The Western Chamber" (Xixiang ji) in light of its multiple literary and visual traditions. Over 100 different woodblock editions, many of them illustrated, were published during the Ming and Qing dynasties alone. The focus of the class will be on close readings of the original texts in classical and vernacular Chinese. We will concentrate on the earliest extant edition of 1498 and Jin Shengtan's expurgated, annotated edition of 1656, along with visual treatments of the play in various mediums.

This course introduces students to sociological approaches to the study of culture, using K-pop (South Korean popular music) as a central case. The course draws from a wide repertoire of disciplines, with a thematic focus on gender and labor and a methodological focus on qualitative methods. Such a design helps students understand the analytical power of different approaches while developing their own sensibilities toward theorizing and researching popular culture from a sociological standpoint. The first half of the course covers foundational frameworks such as the production of culture perspective, art worlds, and field theory, while the latter half engages with newer topics including fandom, branding, aesthetic labor/socialization, celebrity, and platforms. The course does not assume prior knowledge of sociology or K-pop, although they are welcome. Students will be expected to post weekly reflections on the readings, which will eventually help them develop a research proposal or a short research paper. The course will be generally helpful to those interested in sociology of culture or K-pop/Korean popular culture, but it will be especially well-suited for students who are considering a B.A. thesis or want to conduct a pilot study before embarking on a larger project.

This course explores Korea’s many diasporas in the twentieth century. What factors shaped twentieth-century Korean migration? How were individuals and families impacted by their diasporic contexts? We will examine migration trajectories from Korea to other parts of the Asia-Pacific, to Europe, and to the Americas, tracing the historical processes of colonization, war, marriage migration, international adoption, and labor migration. We will also engage with questions of citizenship, identity, and memory. Readings will include a range of primary sources such as personal letters, diaries, interviews, and artwork, as well as selected excerpts from literature and film. By the end of the course, students will have a deeper understanding of the diversity of experiences within Korea’s twentieth-century diasporas.

What can the world’s earliest known pottery shards tell us about human survival and creativity? How was earliest Chinese writing invented and used? Why were thousands of life-sized soldiers (Terracotta Army) buried in silence beneath the earth near Xi’an? This course introduces students to the archaeology of China, from the Neolithic period (c. 8000 BCE) to the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). Over the course of the term, we will examine current stage of archaeological research while surveying major sites, artifacts, and architectural remains to explore key aspects of culture, society, and history in early China. A class visit to the Art Institute of Chicago will offer students the opportunity to engage directly with objects from the periods we study.  Beyond cataloging discoveries, the course challenges students to critically examine how archaeology constructs narratives of the past—and how those narratives are reinterpreted over time. With a touch on antiquarianism and the impact of modern archaeology in the Chinese context, we will explore how the ancient past has been used as a symbolic resource by people in the past and the present—elites, antiquarians, the state, archaeologists, and ourselves.  Prior knowledge of Chinese language or history is not required.

This course is designed to explore the notion of “global China” and examine its role and impact in
global society. China’s increasing presence concerns not only its economic power and massive
investments in the Global South, but also its growing cultural, social, and religious influence—its socalled
soft power in the world. This course will look at major scholarly discussions of Chinese global
engagements from both historical and contemporary perspectives to explore how we can advance an
understanding of global China that is no longer restricted to a nation-state framework, or to a linear
or singular approach. By combining theoretical discussion with ethnographic studies on diaspora,
migration, Chinese capital, soft power, race, and racism in global Chinese contexts, the course will
offer useful frameworks and perspectives for raising critical inquiries and tackling cutting-edge issues
related to global China. By the end of the course, the students will develop their own research
subject on a topic that is related to global China; write a thorough literature review on their chosen
topic; and present their research to the class.