LITERATURE OF SOUTHEAST ASIA 2

Mandatory course for the B.A. program in Languages, Cultures and Societies of Asia and North Africa with Southeast Asia.

Learning goals within the area of culture and humanities.

Knowledge and understanding:

- The literary panorama of Thailand
- Key approaches to the study of Thai literature

Applying knowledge and understanding:

- Enhance one’s knowledge of Thai society and culture via the study of literature
- Improve one’s analytical and logical skills via the study of the literary texts explored in the course
- Familiarize with the conventions and methodologies of academic debating and writing
- Articulate one’s opinion critically

Good knowledge of English, both written and spoken.

This course introduces students to the study of Thai literature. Themes include the passage from oral to written literature, ancient Buddhist cosmological treatises, writings linked to the sociopolitical changes of the past century, as well as the contemporary literary production, which is characterised by young and cosmopolitan authors. The course offers instruments for that are useful for the study of literature in the broader context of Southeast Asia.

This is a "blended" course. As such, it alternates between traditional classroom-based classes and online classes that require students to analyze texts independently.

The teacher will provide all readings (academic articles and chapters from edited volumes) on a weekly basis via Moodle.

The assessment is a take-home short essay (1,500 words, excluding the bibliography).

In the final class, the teacher will provide between essay topics which are related to themes covered by the course. Students will be able to choose one topic to develop in the essay.

The evaluation will pay particular attention to how well the essay responds to the essay topic, the strength of the argument and the appropriate use of bibliographic sources. Students who do not pass the exam in the first instance will be able to resubmit the same essay during the next exam session, modifying it on the basis of the teacher’s feedback.

Frontal teaching, online activities, and debates.

English

written