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Gender, Literature and Society in East Asia

Code: 101543 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2500244 East Asian Studies OT 4
2504012 Spanish and Chinese Studies: Language, Literature and Culture OT 4

Contact

Name:
Antonio Paoliello Palermo
Email:
antonio.paoliello@uab.cat

Teachers

Jordi Mas Lopez

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

Students enrolling in this course should have passed all the credits corresponding to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd years of the East Asian Studies Bachelor’s Degree.
Students must have the ability to read academic texts and other types of texts in English to pass the course.


Objectives and Contextualisation

The objective of this subject is to study the modern and contemporary literature of China, the Sinophone world and Japan from a gender perspective. The theoretical classes develop these contents on the basis of teacher presentations and practical sessions, by means of the reading and discussion of articles and narrative works, as well as working with other supplementary materials during the course.


Competences

    East Asian Studies
  • Applying knowledge of the values, beliefs and ideologies of East Asia in order to comprehend and assess written texts in the languages of East Asia.
  • Applying the gender perspective to the analysis of the literary production of the modern and late modern East Asia.
  • Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  • Developing self-learning strategies.
  • Ensuring the quality of one's own work.
  • Following the characteristic code of ethics of the professional practice.
  • Having interpersonal skills.
  • Knowing, comprehending, describing and analysing the values, beliefs and ideologies of East Asia.
  • Knowing, understanding, describing, analysing, and assessing the history, thought and literature of East Asia.
  • Producing innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
  • Recognising the connotations of the specific cultural references in the field of East Asia and assessing the influence in the interlinguistic and intercultural communication.
  • Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  • Respecting the gender equality.
  • Solving problems of intercultural communication.
  • Students must be flexible and capable of adapting to new circumstances.
  • Understanding the referential universe of written and verbal texts in the languages of East Asia.
  • Working in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups.
  • Working in teams in an international, multilingual and multicultural context.
    Spanish and Chinese Studies: Language, Literature and Culture
  • Carry out critical reading and interpretation of texts using linguistic and literary concepts acquired.
  • Comment on literary texts in Spanish and in Chinese, situate them historically and relate them to the literary trends to which they belong.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Use techniques for compilation, organisation and use of information and documentation with precision.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Applying knowledge of the values, beliefs and ideologies of East Asia in order to comprehend and assess written texts in the languages of East Asia.
  2. Applying the gender perspective to the analysis of the literary production of the modern and late modern East Asia.
  3. Demonstrate a knowledge of literary trends.
  4. Describe, analyse and evaluate the history, thought and literature of East Asia.
  5. Develop strategies for autonomous learning.
  6. Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  7. Developing self-learning strategies.
  8. Ensuring the quality of one's own work.
  9. Evaluate the result obtained in the process of searching for documentation and information and to update knowledge of the history, literature, language, thought and art.
  10. Following the characteristic code of ethics of the professional practice.
  11. Having interpersonal skills.
  12. Identify the need to mobilise cultural knowledge to be able to translate.
  13. Integrate literary knowledge to solve translation problems.
  14. Knowing, comprehending, describing and analysing the values, beliefs and ideologies of East Asia.
  15. Knowing, understanding, describing, analysing, and assessing the history, thought and literature of East Asia.
  16. Make document searches in the languages of East Asian countries.
  17. Producing innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
  18. Recognise the need to mobilise cultural knowledge to be able to interpret.
  19. Recognise the referential universe of written and spoken texts in the languages of East Asia.
  20. Recognising the connotations of the specific cultural references in the field of East Asia and assessing the influence in the interlinguistic and intercultural communication.
  21. Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  22. Respecting the gender equality.
  23. Solving problems of intercultural communication.
  24. Students must be flexible and capable of adapting to new circumstances.
  25. Understanding the referential universe of written and verbal texts in the languages of East Asia.
  26. Use different tools for specific purposes in the field of history.
  27. Working in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups.
  28. Working in teams in an international, multilingual and multicultural context.

Content

During this course we will approach the modern and contemporary literary production of China, the Sinophone world and Japan from a gender perspective. We will study relevant literary authors and genres of different literary periods in said areas from the gender perspective. Literary theories dealing with gender in literature will be used to analyse representative Chinese, Sinophone and Japanese works, with the relevant conceptual and analytical tools to deepen the cultural representation of gender.


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures (China) 25 1 10, 2, 25, 14, 7, 6, 17, 20, 23, 21, 22, 24, 11, 28, 27, 8
Lectures (Japan) 25 1 2, 25, 14, 20
Type: Supervised      
Activities in class (China) 8.75 0.35 10, 2, 25, 14, 7, 6, 17, 20, 21, 22, 8
Activities in class (Japan) 8.75 0.35 10, 2, 7, 6, 17, 20, 23, 21, 22, 24, 11, 28, 27, 8
Type: Autonomous      
Essay (China) 37.5 1.5 10, 2, 25, 14, 7, 6, 17, 20, 21, 22, 8
Essay (Japan) 37.5 1.5 10, 2, 25, 14, 7, 6, 20, 8

The course includes theoretical and practical classes. The use of Campus Virtual is essential, since it hosts the compulsory readings and all kinds of information necessary to follow the course. Importance will be attached to students’ discussion of texts from the bibliography and material used in the practical sessions—documentaries, films, classes taught by specialists, etc. The methodology used promotes working with ICTs, self-learning tools, the development of the student’s individual arguments, practical work and theoretical classes

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Individual essay 45% (China 25% + Japan 20%) 5.25 0.21 10, 1, 2, 9, 25, 14, 15, 3, 4, 7, 5, 6, 16, 17, 12, 13, 19, 18, 20, 21, 22, 26, 8
Oral presentation 15% (Japan) 0 0 1, 2, 9, 25, 14, 15, 3, 4, 7, 5, 6, 16, 19, 20, 23, 21, 22, 24, 11, 28, 27, 26, 8
Written test on course contents 40% (China 25% + Japan 15%) 2.25 0.09 1, 2, 25, 14, 15, 3, 4, 7, 5, 6, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 8

Continuous assessment

Students must provide evidence of their progress by completing various tasks and tests. 

Gender and Literature in Modern and Contemporary Chinese and Sinophone Society

1) Individual essay: 25%

2) Test on contents & class readings: 25% 

Gender and Literature in Modern and Contemporary Japan Society

1)    Individual essay: 20%

2)    A presentation in classroom: 15%

3)    Test on contents & class readings: 15%

Review

When publishing final marks prior to recording them on students' transcripts, the lecturer will provide written notification of a date and time for reviewing assessment activities. Students must arrange reviews in agreement with the lecturer.

Missed/failed assessment activities

Students may retake assessment activities they have failed or compensate for any they have missed, provided that those they have actually performed account for a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds) of the subject's final mark and that they have a weighted average mark of at least 3.5.

The lecturer will inform students of the procedure involved, in writing, when publishing final marks prior to recording them on transcripts. The lecturer may set one assignment per failed or missed assessment activity or a single assignment to cover a number of such activities. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final mark be retaken or compensated for. In case of retaking, maximum grade will be 5 (Pass).

Classification as "not assessable"

In the event of the assessment activitiesastudent has performed accounting for just 25% or less of the subject's final mark, their work willbe classified as "not assessable" on their transcript.

Misconduct in assessment activities

Students who engage in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation, etc.) in an assessment activity will receive a mark of “0” for the activity in question. In the case of misconduct in more than one assessment activity, the student involved will be given a final mark of “0” for the subject. Assessment activities in which irregularities have occurred (e.g. plagiarism, copying, impersonation) are excluded from recovery.

Single assessment

This subject may be assessed under the single assessment system in accordance with the terms established in the academic regulations of the UAB and the assessment criteria of the Faculty of Translation and Interpreting.
Students must make an online request within the period established by the faculty and send a copy to the teacher responsible for the subject, for the record.
Single assessment will be carried out in person on one day during week 16 or 17 of the semester. The Academic Management Office will publish the exact date and time on the faculty website.
On the day of the single assessment, teaching staff will ask the student for identification, which should be presented as a valid identification document with a recent photograph (student card, DNI/NIE or passport).

Single assessment activities

The final grade for the subject will be calculated according to the following percentages: 

1)    Individual essay (overall course): 40%

2)    Oral or written test in-person (Japan): 30%

3)    Oral or written test in-person (China): 30%

Grade revision and resit procedures for the subject are the same as those for continual assessment. See the section above in this study guide.


Bibliography

References (China)*

Fiction:

Chi Ta-wei. Membranas. Trad. Alberto Poza. Madrid: Egales, 2024.

Ding Ling. «Cuando estuve en el pueblo de Xia». Trad. Liljana Arsovska. Estudios de Asia y África, 21 (3): 491-510 (año 1986).

Li Ang. Matar el marit. Trad. Mireia Vargas Urpí. Barcelona: Males Herbes, 2021.

Sheng Keyi. «El pescador dice». Trad. Miguel Á. Petrecca. En Después de Mao: narrativa china actual. Buenos Aires: Adriana Hidalgo, 2015.

Su Tong. «Las tres lámparas». In Otra vida para las mujeres / Las tres lámparas. Trad. Rodolfo Lastra. Madrid: Popular, 2018.

Tie Ning. La blusa roja sin botones. Trad. Taciana Fisac. Barcelona: SM, 1989.

VV.AA. Escritoras chinas. Trad. Zhao Shiyu, Liu Xiaomei, Liu Xiaopei, Wilfredo Carrizales, Li Tuo, Liu Yongxin, Dong Yansheng y Mao Chinli. Barcelona: Icaria, 1990.

Xiao Hong. «El puente». Trad. Teresa I. Tejeda Martín. En Campos de vida y muerte, y otros relatos. Barcelona: Bellaterra, 2018.

General references:

Bao, Hongwei. Queer China : Lesbian and Gay Literature and Visual Culture under Postsocialism / Hongwei Bao. London ; Routledge, 2020.

 Barlow, T. E. (Ed.). Gender Politics in Modern China: Writing and Feminism. Durham: Duke University Press, 1993.

 Chang, Kang-I Sun & Saussy, H. (Eds.). Women Writers of Traditional China: An Anthology of Poetry and Criticism. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2000.

 Yan, H. Chinese Women Writers and the Feminist Imagination, 1905-1948. London & New York: Routledge, 2006.

 

Bibliography (Japan section)*

Fiction:

Enchi, Fumiko. Máscaras femeninas. Madrid: Alianza editorial, 2012.

Enchi, Fumiko. Los años de espera. Madrid: Alianza editorial, 2011.

Higuchi, Ichiyô. Cerezos en La oscuridad. Gijón: Satori, 2017.

Kanehara, Hitomi. Serps i piercings. 2003. Barcelona: Columna, 2005.

Kawakami, Mieko. Pechos y huevos. Barcelona: Seix Barral, 2021.

Murata, Sayaka. La dependienta 2016. Barcelona: Duomo ediciones, 2019.

Ogawa, Yoko. El embarazo de mi hermana. Madrid: Funambulista, 2019.

Yosano, Akiko. Cabells enredats. Lleida: Pagès, 2014.

Yoshimoto; Banana, Kitchen. Barcelona: Tusquets, 2013.

General references:

Heisig, James W. (ed.): La Filosofía japonesa en sus textos, Barcelona: Herder, 2016.

Keene, Donald. A History of Japanese Literature. Vol. III. Dawn to the West. Japanese Literature of modern Era. Fiction. New York: Columbia University, 1984.

Keene, Donald. A History of Japanese Literature. Vol. IV. Dawn to the West. Japanese Literature of modern Era. Poetry,drama, criticism. New York: Columbia University, 1984.

Rubio, Carlos. Mil años de literatura femenina en Japón. Gijón: Satori, 2021.

Saito, Akemi. Mujeres japonesas entre el liberalismo y el totalitarismo (1868-1945). Málaga: Universidad de Málaga, 2006.

Hendry, Joy. Para entender la Sociedad japonesa. Trad. Francisco j. Ramos Mena. Barcelona: Edicions Bellaterra, 2018.

Sugimoto, Yoshio (2014). Una introducción a la sociedad japonesa. Bellaterra: Universitat Autònomade Barcelona, 2016.

Saito, Akemi. Mujeres japonesas entre el liberalismo y el totalitarismo (1868-1945). Málaga: Universidad de Málaga, 2006.

Cameron, Deborah. Feminismo. Madrid: Alianza, 2019.

Lipovetsky, Gilles (1983). La era del vacío. Madrid: Anagrama, 2003.

*Further compulsory and complementary references will be specified in the subject’s program at the beginning of the semester.


Software

No software is used in this course.


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed