Jiannan Tang graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University with M.A. in 2008 and Ph.D degree in 2011 and now she is a professor at a distinguished institution of higher learning in Beijing. She has devoted herself to the study of literature for more than twenty years, and is especially interested in the research in Western literature and ecocriticism. She used to spend half a year at the University of Nevada, Reno where the first doctoral program on environment and literature is offered. Later she continued her pursuit of ecocriticism at Cornell University. Nearly two years of visiting scholar experience helped her become an expert in this field. Now she is working on the comparison of Chinese and Western literature.
This course explores American Literature from the period of exploration and settlement to the present, and focuses especially on the period of expansion to the contemporary literature. Students will study works of prose, poetry, drama, and fiction in relation to their historical and cultural contexts. Texts will be selected from among a diverse group of authors for what they reflect and reveal about the evolving American experience and character. The survey helps to fulfill the university aims of fostering competencies in writing, speaking, reading, and appreciation of the arts; contributing to a knowledge and understanding of American literature and cultures; and integrating theoretical and applied knowledge within the context of a cosmopolitan worldview.
Lectures, readings, paper assignments, and discussions are designed to help you develop the skills to:
