judge@yorku.ca

This course uses the Chinese body as an entry point into the richness and complexity of daily life as it was experienced in Chinese history. It focuses on two preeminent concerns in Chinese civilization—health and food—and on one of the most widely condemned and little understood Chinese bodily practices—footbinding.

The course is divided into three sections:

HEALING THE CHINESE BODY

NOURISHING THE CHINESE BODY

FOOTBINDING AND THE CHINESE BODY

We will explore these themes through readings, images, film, and literature. Throughout these explorations we will continue to revisit the following overriding questions:

How does an examination of everyday bodily experience deepen our understanding of Chinese history and highlight the particularities of Chinese history in comparative perspective? How do Chinese and Western notions of the body differ and what do these differences signal about broader cultural differences?

*TENTATIVE*

Patricia Buckley Ebrey. The Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Cambridge University Press; 2nd edition, 2010, or 3^rd edition only available as an e-book.

Ebook ISBN: 9781009175579

E. N. Anderson. The Food of China. Yale University Press, 1990.

https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/stable/j.ctt32bq1r

Feng Jicai. The Three-Inch Golden Lotus: A Novel on Foot Binding. University of Hawaii Press: 1994.

Various electronic resources.

*TENTATIVE Grade Breakdown*

Participation: 20%

Small assignments: 10%

Two midterm exams: 30%

Short essay: 15%

Final essay: 25%

Three sections:

Fall: HEALING THE CHINESE BODY

Winter, first half: NOURISHING THE CHINESE BODY

Winter, second half: FOOTBINDING AND THE CHINESE BODY

Lectures and tutorials with assigned readings for each.

Acquire knowledge of Chinese history, culture, and geography.

Develop an understanding of processes of historical change in China.

Understand different approaches to history including the history of science, social history, and cultural history.

Acquire familiarity with primary sources such as writings by early Chinese doctors, descriptions of Chinese social life by outside observers in history.

Communicate historical ideas effectively in small writing assignments, mid-term exams, and longer papers. Communicate historical ideas orally in tutorial discussions and presentation.

Understand the relevance of Chinese history to the place of China in the world today.

Impart skills essential for active citizenship: critical thinking, reading, writing.

Prepare students for professional careers by helping them learn how to process information, assess meaning, and communicate their findings.