ASIA 514B: China Vice: The Literature of Criminality
2016W Term 2 Instructor: Christopher Rea (chris.rea@ubc)
Class meetings: To be scheduled; email Dr Rea for details.
Murderers, thieves, swindlers, spies, sex offenders, gangsters, and political criminals: China can be a dangerous place, if the stories are to be believed. Fortunately, magistrates, police officers, consulting detectives, public security officers, counter-espionage agents, and good Samaritans have been there to protect us. How have tales of criminality and justice been told in modern China? What types of criminals have obsessed Chinese writers and readers, and which crime genres have been most popular? This graduate seminar will focus on the vast Chinese literature of criminality: court case fiction, swindle stories, and judicial crime reports of the late imperial period; detective and scandal fiction of Republican China; tales of spies and political espionage of the Mao era; contemporary trends in fiction, film, and popular media, and more. Vice has proven irresistible to storytellers and audiences across the world, provoking moral reflections while offering vicarious thrills. When it comes to crime, what’s the China story? This seminar is open to students with no reading knowledge of Chinese.
Study in China this Summer through this Global Seminar Program!
A top level course on policy-making and reforms in China across a wide range of domains combining instruction by UBC Professor Yves Tiberghien and some courses from experts at one of the top 3 policy schools in China: Southwestern University of Political Sciences and law (SWUPL). Students will acquire analytical skills and great insights in updated policy-making process in China covering economic issues, social issues, urban issues, legal issues, and China’s impact on global governance.
The combination of analytical and real world skills acquired at the heart of China’s transformation will be extremely valuable on the job market. The program is also certain to have a transformative effect on your views of China and of global affairs.
For more information, please visit www.students.ubc.ca/chongqing2018
UBC Journal of International Affairs opportunities: Call for Submissions
Submit your papers to the Journal of International Affairs
The Journal of International Affairs (JIA) is a student-run, peer- and faculty-reviewed undergraduate publication. Since 1985, the JIA has showcased distinguished papers written by students across a range of faculties and departments. Contributing to the JIA affords students an invaluable opportunity to have their work published early in their academic careers.
We are looking for research papers written on global issues, from across disciplines. All papers will be considered on their merits, and the 5-10 top papers will be published in the 2018 JIA.
All papers must meet the following criteria to be considered for publication:
* Must be the original, unpublished work of the author
* Must include a title, the author’s name and year, and the name of the course for which the paper was written
* Must have received a grade of 80% percent or higher
* Must be in .doc format, roughly 1500-3500 words in length, and include citations as well as a full bibliography
Authors are strongly encouraged to review their papers based on any feedback they may have received. Staff editors will also work with authors to refine and improve their papers before publication. Detailed submission criteria, FAQs and past editions can be found on our website at www.ubcjia.com<http://www.ubcjia.com/>.
Please send your submissions to Editors-in-Chief Maahin Ahmed and Verna Yam at irsa.jiaeditor@gmail.com<mailto:irsa.jiaeditor@gmail.com> by December 23, 2017. We look forward to receiving your papers.
Language Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference open to registration, seeking volunteers
The 2nd Language Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference (LSURC) is set to take place January 19-20, 2018 at the University of British Columbia, Point Grey Campus in Vancouver, BC. As a student-run conference, we aim to bring together interdisciplinary work in language and communication.To find out more, visit our website.
Conference Registration
Registration for the conference is now open! Entrance to LSURC is free, and all interested individuals are welcome to attend. If you plan to attend, we ask that you please register by January 6th, 2018 using this online conference registration form.
Volunteers Needed!
We are currently looking for volunteers for the days of the event (Jan 19 – Jan 20). More details about the available roles can be found on the Get Involved page of our website. If you would like to volunteer, please fill out this online volunteer registration form by January 6th, 2018.
Invited Speakers
We are excited to announce two of our invited speakers for this year’s roundtable session: Dr. Molly Babel from the UBC Dept. of Linguistics, and Dr. Muhammad Abdul-Mageed from the UBC School of Library, Archival and Information Studies. They will be speaking to the theme of Language as an insight into human nature:
The studies of language span diverse fields but are united by the common theme that human language provides unique insight into how we come to understand human nature. Language is cognitive and cultural, internal and external, personal and social; the diversity of approaches taken in studying language enriches our understanding of who we are. How can the perspective of your field enrich our understanding of language, as a uniquely human phenomenon?
All information and online forms is also be available on our website.
Behind-the-Scenes with Mei Lanfang Beijing Opera Troupe
There are three genres of ancient theatrical culture: ancient Greek, Indian Sanskrit and Chinese Opera. The most influential traditional style within Chinese Opera is Beijing Opera, which captures the cultural essence of China. Beijing (or Peking) Opera contains multifaceted theatrical elements that go beyond music and singing in order to combine the treasures of the oriental arts: drama, dancing, martial arts and acrobatics. In 2010, Beijing Opera was declared an “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO.
Thursday, December 21st, 10:30am to 12:00pm
St. John’s College, Fairmont Social Lounge
2111 Lower Mall Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
If you are planning to attend, please email Jane Wang: jane.wang@ubc.ca
The group is also generously giving away tickets to their performances of “The Legend of Lady White Snake” at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on December 22 & 23 at 7:00PM. You are also welcome to sign up for free tickets by contacting Jane.
Check out these media links to learn more about the opera troupe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JotCpuAd77k
https://www.straight.com/arts/983406/mei-lanfang-beijing-opera-brings-astounding-visual-spectacle-vancouver