NCHU Course Outline
Course Name (中) 世界文學與理論(8008)
(Eng.) World Literature and Theories of the World
Offering Dept International Doctoral Program in Taiwan and Transcultural Studies
Course Type Elective Credits 3 Teacher LIM SONG HWEE ect.
Department International Doctoral Program in Taiwan and Transcultural StudiesPh.D Language English Semester 2025-SPRING
Course Description This class introduces students to the concept of world literature. Each week we will read and discuss theories of the world, and analyze a piece of literature related to the topic of the week. Our main focus this semester is the idea of visibility in the world. Among the issues we will discuss include the conditions of visibility for literary production, center and peripheral relations, Sinophone and postcolonial visibility, as well as the concept of planetarity.
Prerequisites
self-directed learning in the course Y
Relevance of Course Objectives and Core Learning Outcomes(%) Teaching and Assessment Methods for Course Objectives
Course Objectives Competency Indicators Ratio(%) Teaching Methods Assessment Methods
1. Learn theoretical tools and frameworks useful for the study of world literature.
2. Practice close reading of literary and cultural texts.
3. Practice academic writing.
Exercises
Discussion
Lecturing
Attendance
Oral Presentation
Assignment
Course Content and Homework/Schedule/Tests Schedule
Week Course Content
Week 1 2/17 Introduction
Week 2 2/24 World literature and Europe: David Damrosch, “What is World Literature?”
Examples from Damrosch, Asymptote Journal
Week 3 3/3 Material Conditions for the Production of Literature:
Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own (1928), Chapters 1-3
Week 4 3/10 Making Visible (1): Rebecca Solnit, “Diving Into the Wreck” and “Audibility, Credibility, Consequence”, from Recollections of My Nonexistence (2020)
Week 5 3/17 Making Visible (2): Susan Sontag, “In Plato’s Cave”, from On Photography (1990), and “Notes on ‘Camp’”, from Against Interpretation (1982)
Week 6 3/24 Making Visible (3): Excerpts from Annie Ernaux, Exteriors (1993/2021), and Lou Stoppard, “Writing Images”, from Exteriors: Annie Ernaux and Photography (2024)
Week 7 3/31 Midterm Break

Week 8 4/7 Becoming Nobel Laureates: (a) Annie Ernaux Nobel Lecture: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2022/ernaux/lecture/; (b) Han Kang Nobel Lecture: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/2024/han/lecture/
Week 9 4/14 Moving to the Center: Pascale Casanova
VS. Naipaul, Two Worlds
Week 10 4/21 The Nation and the World: Franco Moretti, “Conjectures on World Literature”; Franz Kafka, The Great Wall of China
Week 11 4/28 Postcolonial Worlds: What is a World? Introduction, Pheng Cheah; V.S. Naipaul, The Enigma of Arrival
Week 12 5/5 The Visible “Chinese”: Chiu Kui-fen; Shih Shu-Mei; Ng Kim Chew, Fish Bones

Week 13 5/12 Peripheral Worldings: Tee Kim Tong; Chan Cheow-Thia, Malaysian Crossings Chapter 1; Han Suyin, And the Rain My Drink
Week 14 5/19 Why not the Planet? : Gayatri Spivak, “Planetarity”; Wu Ming Yi, The Stolen Bicycle
Week 15 5/26 Presentations
Week 16 6/2 Final papers due
Week 17 6/9 Self-directed learning.
Week 18 6/16 Self-directed learning.
Evaluation
Attendance, participation, and written responses to readings (30%)
Attendance and participation = 15%. Posts on iLearning = 15%.

Oral presentation (15 minutes) (30%).

Write-up of oral presentation (1000 words) (10%).

Final paper (2000 words) (30%).
Textbook & other References
PDFs of readings.
Teaching Aids & Teacher's Website
iLearning.
Office Hours
By appointment.
Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs
04.Quality Education   05.Gender Equality   16.Peace and Justice   17.Partnerships for the Goalsinclude experience courses:N
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Update Date, year/month/day:2025/01/24 13:51:47 Printed Date, year/month/day:2025 / 2 / 10
The second-hand book website:http://www.myub.com.tw/