The Butterfly Lovers response

Painting of the Butterfly Lovers
image credit: letthejourneybegin.worldpress.com

Reading questions for "Is it Clothes that Make the Man?": What keywords did the author focus on and what conclusion did the author draw in the essay? What fascinates YOU most about the story of the Butterfly Lovers?

Please feel free to respond to the above questions (with quotes and page numbers) and raise your own questions for class discussion. Due Wednesday 2/5 by 10 pm, comments to two other responses due by 11:59 pm.

The White Snake response

Photo source: usa.chinadaily.com.cn

Please read Wilt Idema's "Old Tales for New Times" for Tuesday and my "White Snake as New Woman" for Thursday. Respond to both readings in a well-written two-paragraph response. What might be the most interesting findings from these pieces? Use short quotations and page numbers to support your observations in the first paragraph of your response.

Do some research on the relevance of the White Snake theme in contemporary Chinese popular culture. Write a reflective paragraph explaining why old tales such as the White Snake are still so prevalent today using evidence from both readings and any external materials. Due Wednesday Jan. 29 by 10 pm; short comments to two other responses due the same day by 11:59 pm. I look forward to reading your responses! 

Welcome to Popular Culture in Modern China!

Welcome!! This will be our class blog where I will post weekly reading questions for you to post your reading responses by 10 pm on Wednesdays starting January 29. Your comments to two other responses will be due by 11:59 pm the same day. Your midterm paper (and update) and final paper/project (and update) will also be due here, as links to your own blogs.

For our first day of class today, I will clarify my expectations for you in this class, and will highlight the importance of finishing assigned readings BEFORE coming to class, active participation in class with the aid of reading notes, writing thoughtful reading responses with quotes and page numbers, and working on your academic writing skills based on close reading of textual and audio/visual materials. This is a 400 level class and will involve intensive reading and writing. Please come to see me if you are freshmen or sophomores, or need help with academic reading and writing.  

We will then go over important aspects of the syllabus, get to know each other a little bit, and watch a short TED talk relevant to popular culture in modern China. Looking forward!