Page 98 - SYU Prospectus

Shue Yan University Prospectus 2021-22

diaspora, minority and nationalism. In some cases, movies are selected for their literary merit,
such as Red Sorghum by Mo Yan and To Live by Yu Hua. Whenever applicable, students are
expected to read the written texts together with seeing their film adaptations, and in these
cases, issues in adaptation such as theories on print and media cultures, modes of operation,
aesthetics and representation will also be discussed.

ENG 508 Science, Technology and Culture
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course explores the impact of the worldwide technoscience revolution of our era in
the cultural context in response to the advent of technology and science in the past two
centuries. Special emphasis will be put on the interaction and reciprocation between
technology and society. As witness to this important moment, we have a vantage point to
review the cultural impact of technology on social, economic, political development since the
industrial revolution in the 18th century. Through readings of critical theories by social critics
and philosophers, the course will analyse some dominant themes of technoscience culture and
society, such as posthumanism and humanity, bioengineering and ethics, feminist science
studies, and digital-game based teaching and learning.

ENG 510 Literature and Visual Culture
1 Term; 3 Credits
Literature has had an ambivalent relationship to the visual arts. This course explores how
the verbal arts and the visual arts inform one another and challenge the reading/viewing
experience. Students are introduced to some key theoretical debates about visual culture and
literary writing, and have the opportunity to engage a diverse range of texts drawn from many
genres (poetry, fiction, essays, painting, photography, comic books, and to a lesser extent,
film). Topics covered include ekphrasis, textual illustration, the case of poet-painters, what has
been termed “word painting” and the cinematic adaptation of literary texts. Special emphasis
is placed on the resurgent and fluid genre of comic books (or graphic novels), texts traditionally
regarded as juvenile or lowbrow. Students are thus encouraged to reflect on the ways such
texts go beyond youthful subcultures and handle topical matters such as personal
development, ethnic identity, social power, or trauma.

ENG 511 Language, Culture and Society
1 Term; 3 Credits
This course presents and elucidates the interconnectedness between language, culture
and society. It is the aim of the course to direct student to an in-depth and critical discussion
on the major issues related to language, culture and society. Issues like culture and language
development, culture, language and verbal art, language and social relations, language and
cultural identity, language, culture and thought, language variation as well as language change
will be discussed.

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