Cheng Li, PhD candidate in Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, will be teaching EALL 351 Advanced Readings: Environment and Society in Modern Chinese Literature and Culture.
The focus of EALL 351 in Fall 2021 is on the environment and society in modern Chinese literature and visual culture. This undergrad seminar covers the most important topics and texts in both environmental humanities and modern Chinese literature/visual culture. Students will also explore Chinese environmental imaginations and realities from East Asian, comparative, global, as well as interdisciplinary perspectives. All readings and materials have English translations; students can choose either language to work with. Class discussions are in English.
China is facing enormous environmental challenges, including deforestation, air pollution, soil erosion, and environmental diseases. Chinese and East Asian environmental problems are deeply intertwined with class, gender, ethnicity, and other political and cultural issues. What is the most compelling narrative strategy to represent the complexity of Chinese and East Asian environmentalism? From a global perspective, how unique are Chinese and East Asian environmental issues? How should we understand China’s rise from an environmental perspective? Thematically, this course focuses on deforestation, chemical pollution, climate change, toxic waste, and the extinction of species. The readings include literature, film, popular culture, environmental history, and new media. Students will read important theories for analytical tools by Rob Nixon, Karen Thornber, Ursula Heise, Dipesh Chakrabarty, Anna Tsing, William Cronon, etc.
Please feel free to contact cheng.li369@yale.edu with any questions and/or check courses.yale.edu for syllabus.
In completing this course, students will
Understand East Asian environmental problems in a cultural and historical context
Explore the US and global environmental issues from a comparative and planetary perspective
Master key works and notions in environmental humanities and modern Chinese literature/visual culture
Analyze primary texts from an interdisciplinary and transnational perspective
Collaborate with other students to increase knowledge and understanding