COMP 249
Chinese Science Fiction: Origins and Promise Spring 2017
Division I
Cross-listed CHIN 224
This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

What is Chinese Science Fiction? What makes it Chinese? What is science when it is fictionalized? Where does it stand in the Chinese literary tradition and in the arena of contemporary world literature? This course offers an introduction to Chinese science fiction, ranging from the grotesque to the sublime, from the apocalyptic to the transcendent, from the human to the posthuman. It is organized as a historical survey of the genre from its inception at the beginning of the 20th century to the present-day boom with the Hugo Award winners. Centering on utopia and dystopia, it approaches Chinese science fiction as a genre that provides reflection on reality and conveys hope or despair for the future. It examines how “China Dreams” are reconsidered and reconstructed under different socio-political and techno-scientific contexts. It questions China’s century-long program of national development, social revolution, and cultural reform. Readings in Chinese science fiction are juxtaposed with classical Chinese tales of fantasy, science fiction in the Anglo-Saxon tradition, and science fiction in Asian American literature, in order to map out the origins and promise of the genre. No prerequisite. All readings in English.
The Class: Format: lecture
Limit: 20
Expected: 10
Class#: 4034
Grading: no pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: evaluation is based on attendance and participation, essays, and a final project
Extra Info: may not be taken on a pass/fail basis
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: none
Distributions: Division I
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
COMP 249 Division I CHIN 224 Division I

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