This course brings a thematic approach to the critical analysis of the "Chinese body," as constructed before the 20th century, from four main perspectives, those of (1) gender, (2) sexual activity, (3) health, and (4) medicine. A variety of sources, material and literary, attest to changing perceptions over time, through the continuing use of standard vocabulary for Yin/Yang and the Five Phases frequently masked innovations.

This thematic course traces competing notions of the "Chinese body" as they have developed during four discrete time periods: the early empires (323 BCE-316 CE), the Song (960-1279), the first half of the twentieth century, and the People's Republic of China today. As the course title indicates, the course focuses on four main perspectives that mutually inform one another: (1) gender constructions; (2) understandings of sexual activity; (3) definitions of good health and well-being; and (4) the healing and medical arts. Contrary to the Orientalist stereotypes of "unchanging China," notions of the body and hence the person have changed dramatically over the course of two millennia—so much so that older practices have remarkably little in common with contemporary qi gong 氣功 ("breath work") or TCM ("Traditional Chinese Medicine"). The course does not presuppose any knowledge of China, of the Chinese language, or of the history of science. A required course reader will be available from Metro Publishing (Bancroft Avenue), as the readings will draw from multiple primary and secondary sources, including unpublished biographies of Chinese healers and physicians and visual materials (documentaries, charts, and paintings). Powerpoints of the lectures will be posted to bCourses, to facilitate review of the course materials. NOTE: It is essential that students attend regularly, do the reading before lecture, and send questions and comments to the instructor. There will be two in-class exams of no more than 45-minutes, no final exam, a short book report, and a final paper on a topic connected with the course. Students who want to improve their writing may choose three short papers, due at regular intervals, instead of a final longer paper.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills