EALC328 / CPLT328
Seminar: The Posthuman in Contemporary East Asian Culture

The posthuman points to a deep crisis of humanism. Its most powerful critique targets the fundamental malfunction of the existing social order, epistemological paradigm, and modes of governance, production, trade, and culture that have menaced the human conditions and harmed the planetary ecological system. The posthuman thinking in an East Asian context motivates a reevaluation of various modernity projects and reconsiders the position and potentials of humanity in terms of planetary consciousness. In contemporary East Asian culture, posthuman images are particularly applied to reflections concerning the deteriorating ecological system, evolution or devolution enabled by mutations of the political economy, and above all, an awareness of multiplicity that replaces the human-centric singular form of globalization. This seminar guides students to rethink about concepts like gender, sex, class, race, and species in the emerging cultural contexts of the Chthulucene, the Neo-Baroque, virtual reality, digital consciousness, and the metaverse. The course integrates theoretical studies to case analyses of literary works, films, TV dramas, video games, and digital artworks from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the Asian diaspora across the Pacific.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 25

Crosslisted Courses:

Prerequisites: One course at the 200 or 300 level on East Asian literature, history, or culture, or CPLT 180 or another CPLT course at the 200 or 300 level.

Distribution Requirements: LL - Language and Literature; ARS - Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Film and Video

Typical Periods Offered: Every other year

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered

Notes: