East Asian Studies 277 - COLQ:PRVTE LIFE/PUBL SPCE/CHI

This course investigates the culture of private life in Late Imperial China (ca. 1400-1900). Using the house as a lens through which to examine how people lived and thought, we will explore topics such as architecture, gardens, cultural consumption, gender roles, foot-binding, homosexuality, and the family. Readings will draw upon important secondary scholarship as well as primary literature, including fiction, art collecting manuals, and Confucian didactic texts. Students will also develop a deepened understanding of one facet of private life in China through a research paper on a well-conceived topic. Enrollment limited to 20. (E)