Workshops in Chinese Medicine and Chinese Opera for First-Year Seminar "China in Ten Words"
Workshops in Chinese Medicine and Chinese Opera for First-Year Seminar "China in Ten Words"
Academic Year:
2013 - 2014 (June 1, 2013 through May 31, 2014)
Funding Requested:
$500.00
Project Dates:
-
Applicant(s):
Overview of the Project:
I am applying for funding to offer two guest workshops – one in Chinese medicine and one in Chinese opera – for my freshman seminar course ASIAN 251 First Year Seminar "China in Ten Words: Foundational Ideas in Chinese Culture." The course teaches students to apply key concepts from early Chinese philosophy to understanding Chinese culture today. Students read primary philosophical texts in translation and study secondary sources that explain these texts. In addition, students conduct research on the connections between these philosophical ideas and modern Chinese culture. By holding these workshops, I hope to give students a chance to engage hands-on with two important aspects of modern Chinese culture – medicine and opera – in an experiential learning session that is guided by professionals working in each field. As professionals in these fields, the guest speakers will be able to introduce students to techniques and specialized vocabulary that is outside the scope of the readings and class discussions. For example, the doctors will demonstrate pulse-taking, acupuncture, and cupping methods from Chinese medicine. In addition, they will explain how these treatment methods connect directly to the ideas of "qi" and "yinyang," the two key works covered in the first unit. The Chinese opera practitioners will perform a piece of opera and teach student to enact basic singing and movement techniques. In addition, they will explain how opera performance engages the aesthetic concepts of "yun" (rhyme) and "xiang" (image), which are the keywords for that unit.