Literary Chinese is a written language that matured long before the Qin dynasty (221-206 B.C.), when China first became an empire. It continued to be used by China's governing and elite cultures for nearly three millennia. A good command of Literary Chinese is therefore indispensable for the study of pre-modern Chinese literature, thought, history, politics and society.
The idioms, allusions, syntax, and style of Literary Chinese continue to pervade the modern language. Its enduring influence results from the fact that the great legacies of Chinese culture, right down to the present day, have been largely preserved in this medium. Without a grounding in Literary Chinese, it is therefore impossible to gain a full understanding of newspaper articles, literary works, and scholarly prose written in contemporary Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the People's Republic of China. It has also shaped the linguistic and cultural traditions of Korea, Japan and Vietnam.
This course will cover a selection of advanced readings in Literary Chinese. Each semester, a different type of Literary Chinese text will be studied: historiography; excavated texts; anecdotal literature; legal documents;poetry; Buddhist Chinese. Students will read prescribed texts in class. There will be tuition in the vocabulary, grammar, and syntax specific to each type of text and register of Literary Chinese. There will also be an introduction to the contextual information necessary to appreciate the different types of text under study.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:1. Demonstrate the reading skills necessary to identify, hypothesise on, and analyse items of vocabulary and syntax in new registers of Literary Chinese and different types of Literary Chinese text;
2. Produce annotated translations from Literary Chinese to English;
3. Evaluate the content and style of a range of texts in Literary Chinese;
4. Analyse the texts studied in the light of a broad knowledge of relevant Chinese social, intellectual, and literary contexts.
Other Information
CHIN3015 is offered in semester 1 and 2 each year. Students may enrol in this course code more than once, under different topics.
This is a co-taught course. Any cap on enrolments in one course applies to both courses combined.
Indicative Assessment
Two in-class tests - 30% (Related learning outcomes: 1, 3)Two short critiques - 30% (Related learning outcomes: 4, 5)
Final take-home translation assignment - 40% (Related learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3)
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
The course comprises two two-hour seminars each week. It demands six hours of preparation, including assigned readings and supplementary research.Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Copies of prescribed texts and supplementary readings will be supplied on the course Wattle site.Majors
Minors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $2856 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2017 | $4080 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anecdotal Literature | ||||||
| 4638 | 20 Feb 2017 | 27 Feb 2017 | 31 Mar 2017 | 26 May 2017 | In Person | N/A |
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excavated Texts | ||||||
| 10112 | 24 Jul 2017 | 31 Jul 2017 | 31 Aug 2017 | 27 Oct 2017 | In Person | N/A |
