China Humanities: The Individual in Chinese Culture
Discover China's history through the perspective of the individual.
Join Harvard University faculty in this online course to explore Chinese history and culture from the perspective of the individual through philosophical texts, literary works, and art.
2-4 hours per week
What You'll Learn
In China’s history, there has been a longstanding belief that being cultured and being moral are necessary for a person to participate in public life. We often think of China in political terms – and focus on the history of government – or in social terms – and study the role of the family in society. But this course looks at the individual and the striving for culture and morality.
In China Humanities, you will explore the idea of China as a country of individuals who create the thing we call Chinese culture through their own art, literature, and philosophy. The course will focus on how individuals pursue unique forms of expression, act upon their distinct experiences, and follow their own desires, creating enduring works that we continue to look to for inspiration and wisdom.
You will discuss the theories of early Chinese thinkers like Confucius and Zhuangzi, explore the poetry of writers like Tao Yuanming and Du Fu, read from novels such as the Dream of the Red Chamber, and learn how to see painting and calligraphy – all with a particular focus on how these works have shaped Chinese culture as we know it today.
The course will be delivered via edX and connect learners around the world. By the end of the course, participants will learn:
- Cultural traditions that are revered in China today.
- How to interpret Chinese philosophical texts.
- How to analyze and appreciate masterpieces of Chinese literature.
- How to see the “individual voice” in visual works.
Syllabus
Unit 1: Early Chinese Thinkers and Writers and their Notion of Self
Unit 2: Revealing the Individual in Chinese Poetry
Unit 3: Love and Literature: Yingying’s Story
Unit 4: Neo-Confucianism
Unit 5: Love and Illusion in the Story of the Stone
Unit 6: Chinese Art: How to Paint the Inner Voice?
Unit 7: Humanities Past and Present
Unit 8: Roundtable Discussion, on the Individual and Society
Your Instructors
Peter K. Bol
Charles H. Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations
at Harvard University
Read full bio.
Wai-yee Li
Professor of Chinese Literature in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University
Read full bio.
Stephen Owen
James Bryant Conant University Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University
Read full bio.
Michael Puett
Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and Anthropology at Harvard University
Read full bio.
Eugene Wang
Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Professor of Asian Art at Harvard University
Read full bio.
Xiaofei Tian
Professor of Chinese Literature in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University
Read full bio.
Ways to take this course
When you enroll in this course, you will have the option of pursuing a Verified Certificate or Auditing the Course.
A Verified Certificate costs $89 and provides unlimited access to full course materials, activities, tests, and forums. At the end of the course, learners who earn a passing grade can receive a certificate.
Alternatively, learners can Audit the course for free and have access to select course material, activities, tests, and forums. Please note that this track does not offer a certificate for learners who earn a passing grade.