Gender, Literature and Society in East Asia
Code: 101543 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| East Asian Studies | OT | 4 |
| Spanish and Chinese Studies: Language, Literature and Culture | OT | 4 |
Contact
- Name:
- Jordi Mas Lopez
- Email:
- jordi.mas.lopez@uab.cat
Teachers
- Amelia Saiz Lopez
- Antonio Paoliello Palermo
- Ester Torres Simon
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 and using the information and communication technology resources (ICT) in order to collect, produce, analyse and present information related to the East Asian Studies.
- 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
- 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.
- Demonstrate a knowledge of literary trends.
- Describe, analyse and evaluate the history, thought and literature of East Asia.
- Develop strategies for autonomous learning.
- 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.
- 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.
- Following the characteristic code of ethics of the professional practice.
- Having interpersonal skills.
- Identify the need to mobilise cultural knowledge to be able to translate.
- Integrate literary knowledge to solve translation problems.
- 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.
- Make document searches in the languages of East Asian countries.
- Producing innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
- Recognise the need to mobilise cultural knowledge to be able to interpret.
- Recognise the referential universe of written and spoken texts in the languages of East Asia.
- 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.
- Use different tools for specific purposes in the field of history.
- Using the specific terminology of history, literature, linguistics, thought and art.
- Working in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups.
- 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, Korea 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) | 23.5 | 0.94 | 10, 2, 25, 14, 7, 6, 17, 20, 23, 21, 22, 24, 11, 29, 28, 8 |
| Lectures (Japan) | 23.5 | 0.94 | 2, 25, 14, 20 |
| Lectures (Korea) | 3 | 0.12 | 2, 25, 14, 20 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Activities in class (China) | 9.5 | 0.38 | 10, 2, 25, 14, 7, 6, 17, 20, 21, 22, 8 |
| Activities in class (Japan) | 9.5 | 0.38 | 10, 2, 7, 6, 17, 20, 23, 21, 22, 24, 11, 29, 28, 8 |
| Task activities (Korea) | 1.1 | 0.04 | 2, 5, 6, 18, 20, 19, 22, 8 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Essay (China) | 37 | 1.48 | 10, 2, 25, 14, 7, 6, 17, 20, 21, 22, 8 |
| Essay (Japan) | 37 | 1.48 | 10, 2, 25, 14, 7, 6, 20, 8 |
| Individual work (Korea) | 1 | 0.04 | 2, 9, 14, 7, 20, 21, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese literature: written exam on feminine and masculine identities | 30% | 1 | 0.04 | 10, 1, 2, 9, 25, 15, 14, 3, 4, 5, 7, 6, 16, 17, 12, 13, 18, 20, 19, 21, 22, 26, 8 |
| Chinese literature: written exam on LGTBIQ+ contents | 15% | 0.45 | 0.02 | 1, 2, 25, 15, 14, 3, 4, 5, 7, 6, 20, 19, 21, 22, 26, 27, 8 |
| Japanese literatura: written exam | 25% | 1.45 | 0.06 | 2, 25, 14, 3, 4, 5, 20, 19, 22, 27 |
| Japanese literature: oral presentation | 20% | 1 | 0.04 | 1, 2, 9, 25, 15, 14, 3, 4, 7, 5, 6, 16, 20, 19, 23, 21, 22, 24, 11, 29, 28, 26, 8 |
| Korean Literature: contribution to the virtual forum | 10% | 1 | 0.04 | 2, 25, 15, 14, 4, 6, 19, 21, 22, 27 |
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
Test on contents & class readings: 30%
LGBTQIA+ Literature and Society in Taiwan and China
Written exam on course content and readings: 15%
Gender and Literature in Modern and Contemporary Japan Society
1) Oral presentation: 20%
2) Written exam (it includes a part on a reading chosen freely by the student): 25%
Gender and Literature in Modern and Contemporary Korea Society
1) Written assignment to be delived via the Campus Virtual Forum: 10%
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 coveranumber of such activities. Under nocircumstances 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 (overallcourse): 40%
2) Oral or written test in-person (Japan and Korea): 30%
3) Oral or written test in-person (China and Taiwan): 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:
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:
Barlow, Tani. E. (Ed.) (1993) Gender Politics in Modern China: Writing and Feminism. Durham: Duke University Press, 1993.
Dooling, Amy. (2005). Women’s literary feminism in twentieth-century China. Springer.
Schaffer, Kai, & Song, Xialin. (2013). Women writers in postsocialist China. Routledge.
Yan, Haiping (2006) Chinese Women Writers and the Feminist Imagination, 1905-1948. London & New York: Routledge
References (Session on LGBTQIA+ lit. in Taiwan and China)*
Fiction
Chi Ta-wei. Membranas. Trad. Alberto Poza. Madrid: Egales, 2024.
Cui Zi'en. Platinum Bible of the Public Toilet. TenShort Stories. Duke University Press, 2024 (only one short story which will be available in the Virtual Campus.)
Li Kotomi. Bailando en solitario. Trad. VanesaRobles Gallardo. Granada: Kotoba Ediciones, 2025.
Qiu Miaojin. Cartas póstumas desde Montmartre. Trad. Belén Cuadra Mora. Madrid: Gallo Nero Ediciones, 2018
Reference works
Bao Hongwei. Queer China : Lesbian and Gay Literature and Visual Culture under Postsocialism / Hongwei Bao. London ; Routledge, 2020.
Chiang Howard. Queer Taiwanese Literature: A Reader. Amherst, NY: Cambria Press, 2021 (only the introduction)
Poza Poyatos, Alberto. «El Destiempo De La traducción: Circuitos De Reconocimiento En La Obra De Qiu Miaojin». Theory Now. Journal of Literature, Critique, and Thought 8.1 (2025):237-55. https://doi.org/10.30827/tn.v8i1.31156
Specchio, Anna. "The Island where Future Possibilities Bloom. Language, gender, and identity issues in Li Kotomi’s Higanbana ga saku shima." Bunron–Zeitschrift für literaturwissenschaftliche Japanforschung 11 (2024). https://hasp.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/journals/bunron/article/view/27204
References (Korea sessions)
Fiction
Cho Namjoo (2019). Kim Jiyoung, nacida en 1982. Madrid: Alfaguara.
Kim Hyejin (2022). Sobre mi hija. Barcelona: Las Afueras.
Reference works
Fulton, B. (1996). Seeing the Invisible: Women's Fiction in South Korea Today. Manoa, 8(2), 64-68. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4229390
Koh, H. (2002). Women and Korean Literature. Getting to Know Korea: Resource Book for K-12 Educators, 35-41. https://www.koreasociety.org/images/pdf/KoreanStudies/Monographs_GeneralReading/GettingtoKnowKorea/GTKK%205%20Helen%20Koh%20Women%20and%20Korean%20Literature.pdf
Bibliography (Japan)*
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 añosde 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 Sociedadjaponesa. 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.
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan | second semester | morning-mixed |