ASIA/CMLIT 004U
The course description offered in the Penn State University Bulletin:
ASIA 004U (GH;IL) (CMLIT 004U) Introduction to Asian Literatures (3) Comparative interpretations of narrative, drama, lyric, and other writings from East Asia and other regions, viewed as world literature.
This is another honors course (3-credit) I took in the spring. Since I like literature and I needed to fulfill certain honors credit for the Paterno Fellows program, I happily chose to take this class. With no significant knowledge about the Asian literature, I didn't know what to expect from this class. Reading the short stories from the textbook and online was interesting. But what was even more fascinating were other aspects of the class--identifying different themes (universal or unique) and comparing the short stories. I really enjoyed forming and voicing my own interpretations to others during the class discussion.
In addition to distinguishing the authors' literary devices, Professor Tachibana emphasized on recognizing the connection between stories when comparing stories. We exercised our skills in comparing literature by composing response papers about our readings and discussions, which were mostly led by the students themselves.
ASIA 004U (GH;IL) (CMLIT 004U) Introduction to Asian Literatures (3) Comparative interpretations of narrative, drama, lyric, and other writings from East Asia and other regions, viewed as world literature.
This is another honors course (3-credit) I took in the spring. Since I like literature and I needed to fulfill certain honors credit for the Paterno Fellows program, I happily chose to take this class. With no significant knowledge about the Asian literature, I didn't know what to expect from this class. Reading the short stories from the textbook and online was interesting. But what was even more fascinating were other aspects of the class--identifying different themes (universal or unique) and comparing the short stories. I really enjoyed forming and voicing my own interpretations to others during the class discussion.
In addition to distinguishing the authors' literary devices, Professor Tachibana emphasized on recognizing the connection between stories when comparing stories. We exercised our skills in comparing literature by composing response papers about our readings and discussions, which were mostly led by the students themselves.
Examples of the papers I've written for CMLIT 004U:
response_paper_1.docx | |
File Size: | 14 kb |
File Type: | docx |
response_paper_2_edit.rtf | |
File Size: | 44 kb |
File Type: | rtf |
Discussion (presentation) paper featuring questions and background information:
handout_separate_ways.docx | |
File Size: | 125 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Side note:
Two important events in Asian history are the Cultural Revolution and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Two films we've watched--"To Live!" and "Barefoot Gen" portray these incidents in great detail. I highly recommend them to anyone interested in Asian history.