Faculty Profile
Nan Ma
Associate Professor of East Asian Studies (2015)
Contact Information
Stern Center for Global Educ Room 108
Bio
Professor Ma's teaching and research fields include modern Chinese literature, visual culture, and performance studies. She has published in several peer-reviewed journals, including Modern Chinese Literature and Culture (MCLC), China Perspectives, and Beijing Dance Academy Journal, and the anthology Corporeal Politics: Dancing East Asia (edited by Katherine Mezur and Emily Wilcox, University of Michigan Press, 2020). Professor Ma also serves as an editorial board member for the Dance Research Journal (DRJ), starting in September 2022. Her book, When Words are Inadequate: Modern Dance and Transnationalism in China, is published by Oxford University Press in 2023. She teaches all levels of Chinese language and topic courses, such as "Modern Chinese Performances Culture," "Chinese Science Fiction and Film," and "Cities in Chinese Literature, Film, and Visual Arts." Professor Ma is currently working on her second book project about war and dance in twentieth-century China.
Education
- B.A., Peking University, 2004
- M.A., Tsinghua University, 2007
- Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2015
2023-2024 Academic Year
Fall 2023
CHIN 201 Intermediate Chinese
An enhancement of the oral and written skills of elementary language study. In addition, students will learn to use dictionaries to translate original literary works. Extra conversational work will be included, geared to understanding and participating in Chinese culture. Prerequisite: 102 or the equivalent.
CHIN 231 Advanced Chinese
Advanced reading, writing, speaking, and understanding of the Chinese language for students who have completed Chinese 202. This course aims to enhance the students' understanding of Chinese culture and introduce them to issues in contemporary China through reading and discussion.
Prerequisite: 202 or the equivalent
Spring 2024
CHIN 202 Intermediate Chinese
An enhancement of the oral and written skills of elementary language study. In addition, students will learn to use dictionaries to translate original literary works. Extra conversational work will be included, geared to understanding and participating in Chinese culture. Prerequisite: 201 or the equivalent. This course fulfills the language graduation requirement.
EASN 205 Programming Alternate Futures
Cross-listed with FMST 210-04. This course explores the world of science fiction literature and its visual adaptations, focusing on renowned works by Chinese and American authors from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, all in English. Through analyzing these literary texts and their corresponding film and TV interpretations, the students will gain insights into the two nations' societal and geopolitical dynamics. We will cover themes such as the new Cold War, power struggles within and between different political systems, environmental crises, technological rivalries, and the interplay between scientific advancements and ideological constructs. By comparing the perspectives presented in science fiction narratives, particularly those originating from the contrasting contexts of China and the U.S., learners will delve into the diverse literary and cinematic devices employed by SF writers and film directors. Ultimately, this course aims to foster a deeper understanding of SF literature and film as mass-media fields for conducting thought experiments. Those experiments question, challenge, and break through human cognitive and ethical limits toward both the outside universe and the inner psyche, while reevaluating the benefits and costs of doing so with reference to the contemporary world.
FMST 210 Programming Alternate Futures
Cross-listed with EASN 205-02. This course explores the world of science fiction literature and its visual adaptations, focusing on renowned works by Chinese and American authors from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, all in English. Through analyzing these literary texts and their corresponding film and TV interpretations, the students will gain insights into the two nations' societal and geopolitical dynamics. We will cover themes such as the new Cold War, power struggles within and between different political systems, environmental crises, technological rivalries, and the interplay between scientific advancements and ideological constructs. By comparing the perspectives presented in science fiction narratives, particularly those originating from the contrasting contexts of China and the U.S., learners will delve into the diverse literary and cinematic devices employed by SF writers and film directors. Ultimately, this course aims to foster a deeper understanding of SF literature and film as mass-media fields for conducting thought experiments. Those experiments question, challenge, and break through human cognitive and ethical limits toward both the outside universe and the inner psyche, while reevaluating the benefits and costs of doing so with reference to the contemporary world.
EASN 500 Independent Study