Contemporary Chinese Poetry

CHI4220.01
Course System Home Terms Spring 2026 Contemporary Chinese Poetry

Course Description

Summary

While the language of classical Chinese poetry is practically inaccessible to even today鈥檚 native speakers of Chinese, the poetry of the five contemporary poets studied in this course is written in the vernacular and serves as a rich source of authentic texts for this course, which integrates language learning with poetry study. The five poets, all born after 1980, each offer a unique perspective into the changing society and culture of modern China. Each lesson or two, students will receive a packet with poems and information on the poet along with a vocabulary list, and grammar worksheets. Through reading and discussing these poets as well as writing their own poems in Chinese, students will gain insights into the changing culture of modern China, while building on their competencies in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Mandarin Chinese.

P.S. Free course pack

 

Learning Outcomes

  • By the end of the term, students will be able to...
    ...understand, discuss and critique various authentic contemporary Chinese poems and effectively communicate their thoughts on these in Chinese, both orally and in writing
    ...raise valid and rational questions regarding poetry in contemporary Chinese culture and analyze and discuss these questions in Chinese
    ...conduct independent research on contemporary Chinese poetry
    ...form ideas and opinions based on their research on the intersection of Chinese contemporary poetry, history, and culture and logically state and express their thoughts coherently and cohesively in Chinese at the introductory level.
    ...create their own Chinese language poems


Prerequisites

At least one term Chinese at college level.

Please contact the faculty member : glin@bennington.edu

Instructor

  • Ginger Lin

Day and Time

T/W/F 7:00PM-8:20PM

Delivery Method

Fully in-person

Length of Course

Full Term

Academic Term

Spring 2026

Area of Study

Credits

5

Course Level

4000

Maximum Enrollment

16

Course Frequency

Once a year