Chinese 250A: Translation and Adaptation: The Case of 《西游记》

What makes a good story? How do we share those stories with people from radically different backgrounds? How do we translate them into foreign languages? This course takes these questions as its central problem. Using Journey to the West, one of the most beloved stories of the Chinese literary tradition, we will look at specific instances of translation and adaptation. From Arthur Waley’s famous abridged translation into English, to television dramas, to film, to Japanese , the serialized novel from the Ming Dynasty tale of Xuanzang and his disciples questing after Buddhist sutras has inspired translations and adaptations around the globe for nearly a millennia. Our examinations of these works will be natural stating points for conversations about the tasks of translation and remake, and the theories and practices that go into these tasks. At the course’s conclusion, students will try their hand at these tasks themselves. At the 250 level, no knowledge of China or Chinese is assumed. At the 350 level, students are required to have completed Chinese 202 and will have an additional meeting each week to discuss sections of the texts in Chinese.

Class Meetings: Monday and Wednesday 1:30 – 2:50, IC 125

Professor: Jennifer T. Johnson-Cooper Contact: [email protected], X2350 Office Hours in AD207B: Monday 3 – 4 pm, Tuesday, 9:30 – 10:30 am, Wednesday 3 – 4 pm, Thursday 9:30 – 10:30 am, and by appointment

Course Requirements:

5% = Attendance. Attendance is taken by QR code. If you do not have a device capable of scanning QR codes or forget to bring one to class, cards will be available for manual sign-in. If you are discovered fraudulently signing in an absent classmate, the penalty is a zero for this category and being reported to the VPAA for an Academic Integrity violation. • For purposes of this syllabus, an “excused absence” needs to meet two conditions: 1) The absence is excused by the college. (Sports, Mock Trial, Model UN, etc.). If you are a participant in an organization that requires absence(s) you are REQUIRED to notify the professor as soon as you are aware. Absences announced less than 48 hours will be reported to the organization’s sponsor; work missed in these cases may be penalized. --OR-- You are able to produce documentation of unforeseen, emergent circumstances that prevented your attendance. 2) You notify the instructor by email of the relevant circumstances satisfying condition one. Whenever possible, these emails should come before the absence. In the case of an emergency, notification should happen as soon as you are able. • I accept that up to twice this semester you won’t make it to class for reasons that do not qualify for an excused absence; these absences will not affect your grade. This is congruent with the real world: according to the US Department of Labor, you can expect around 8 sick days a year when you enter the workforce. The 14 week semester represents 26% of the year, 26% of 8 is 2. • If you have to exceed 2 absences, your grade will be penalized. At absence 3 your points will be reduced to 4, at absence 4 they will be reduced to 2 and at absence 5 (at which point you will have missed 20% of the course) you will receive a zero in this category and be ineligible to receive an A in the course. At absence 7 (at which point you will have missed 25% of the course) you will be dropped. 10% = Engagement Points. These are earned through a combination of in-class participation and short comprehension assignments. There will be 100 total points. 15% = Exam Over the Content of Journey to the West. This exam is not yet written, but will be a mix of factual recall and short analysis. 50% = Teaching Module. At the 200-level, this course carries full writing competency, which you will meet through a variety of presentational writing assignments designed to emphasize and refine your real-world writing skills. At the course’s conclusion, you will work in groups to refine your assignments into teaching modules that can be used by teachers who wish to bring more knowledge of Asia into their classrooms. 20% = Final Project. For your final project in this course, you have two choices: 1) A creative adaptation of Journey to the West or 2) Analysis of an adaptation of Journey to the West not discussed in class (a list will be provided

Make-up policy: Because of the size of this course, make-up assignments will be allowed only in exceptional cases, such as documented illness or college-approved trips out of town. Students who encounter such a situation must inform the instructors immediately upon learning of the circumstances of their absence and before the scheduled due- date, by email. Based on the instructors' judgment, the make-up assignment may differ in format from what was administered to the rest of the students.

Other Policies: - The course adheres to Austin College’s rules on plagiarism. Any form of cheating will be reported to the VPAA’s office. In-course penalties will range from a zero on the assignment to failing the course, depending on the severity of the violation, which is the sole discretion of the instructor. - Students with disabilities are encouraged to inform the instructor, who will do her best to provide the relevant accommodations.

Required Texts: Yu, Anthony C. The and the Monk: An Abridgement of The Journey to the West. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006. (In the bookstore)

Yang, Gene Luen. . New York: Square Fish, 2008. (Not in the bookstore, available at Amazon for less than $7).

Schedule:

*Subject to change. Required readings are listed on the day they are due.

Unit One: What are We Doing Here, Anyway?

WEEK ONE Monday, February 2 Opening Lecture: What makes a good story? Wednesday, February 4 Translation and Adaptation: The Source Material of Journey to the West Excerpt from Why Translation Matters (M) “The Name and Nature of Translation Studies” (M) The Wikipedia Page on Translation Studies (M) Friday, February 6 Chinese 350 Meeting – Story-Telling Terms

Unit Two: Journey to the West as An Epic NB: I may substitute/add some translated chapters omitted from the abridgement. The chapters will be available on Moodle and I will indicate to you all such changes reasonably in advance.

WEEK TWO Monday, February 9 The Monkey and the Monk: Chapters 1 – 5 (1-81) Last Day to Add a Course Wednesday, February 11 The Monkey and the Monk: Chapters 6- 10 (82-159) Friday, February 13 Chinese 350 Meeting – Journey to the West Major Terms WEEK THREE Monday, February 16 Creating Notes Mid-term Concern Report Due Wednesday, February 18 Class Cancelled Friday, February 20 Chinese 350 Meeting - Cancelled WEEK FOUR Monday, February 23 Lecture on the First 10 Chapters of Journey to the West Wednesday, February 25 The Monkey and the Monk: Chapters 11 – 16 (160-258) Friday, February 27 Chinese 350 Meeting WEEK FIVE Monday, March 2 The Monkey and the Monk: Chapters 17-24 (259-385) Wednesday, March 4 The Monkey and the Monk: Chapters 25 – 31 (386 – 497) Friday, March 6 Chinese 350 Meeting – Cancelled

March 7 – 15 SPRING BREAK

Unit Three: Adapting the Written Word to Serve Different Purposes

WEEK SIX Monday, March 16 Selections from Monkey, Arthur Waley Midterm Concern Report Due Wednesday, March 18 Selections from Amazing Adventures of the Marvelous , a 2001 children’s play by Elizabeth Wong Friday, March 20 Chinese 350 Meeting

Unit Four: Adapting a Story with Images

WEEK SEVEN Monday, March 23 Tsukioka Yoshitoshi – A Modern Journey to the West - Tsûzoku saiyûki (1865) – painting series Wednesday, March 25 The Monkey King - manga Katsuya Terada Monkey Typhon - manga by Tadashi Agi Friday, March 27 Chinese 350 Meeting WEEK EIGHT Monday, March 30 Monkey King vs. Er Lang Shen - 2007 Chinese CG Animation Last day to change grading system. Last day to drop without a grade. Wednesday, April 1 The Franchise Friday, April 3 Chinese 350 Meeting WEEK NINE Monday, April 6 The Dragon Ball Franchise Wednesday, April 8 American Born Chinese – 2006 Graphic Novel Friday, April 10 Chinese 350 Meeting

Unit Five: Other Possibilities for Adaptation

WEEK TEN Monday, April 13 The Monkey King - manga Katsuya Terada Monkey Typhon - manga by Tadashi Agi Wednesday, April 15 Journey to the West, soundtrack to Monkey: Journey to the West – Damon Albarn Friday, April 17 Chinese 350 Meeting

Unit Six: Cinematic Adaptation

WEEK ELEVEN Monday, April 20 The Cave of the Silken Web – Shaw Brothers Wednesday, April 22 The Cave of the Silken Web – Shaw Brothers Friday, April 24 Chinese 350 Meeting WEEK TWELVE Monday, April 27 A Chinese Tall Story or Journey to the West Wednesday, April 29 A Chinese Tall Story or Journey to the West Friday, May 1 Chinese 350 Meeting WEEK THIRTEEN Monday, May 4 Wednesday, May 6 The Forbidden Kingdom Friday, May 8 Chinese 350 Meeting Last Day of Instruction Teaching modules due. Last day for a student to drop a course with a WP, WF, or WU

FINALS WEEK Friday, May 15 12- 2 pm: Journey to the West Final Projects Due