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SPRING 2025: STORY+GAME LAB “ORACLE BONES AND CHINA’S EARLIEST WRITING”

Gong Liu, Jonathan Walton

82130/ETC# Story + Game Lab: Oracle Bones & China’s Earliest Writing

This innovative course bridges traditional and digital humanities through an interdisciplinary study of oracle bones—ancient artifacts used for ritual divination during China’s Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1045 BCE). These relics bear the earliest known form of writing in East Asia, forming the foundation of written Chinese, influencing numerous other languages in the region, and offering invaluable insights into the origins of Chinese civilization. By combining traditional scholarship with digital humanities and game design, the course offers a unique exploration of the intersection between ancient history, culture, linguistics, and modern technology.

Students will:

  1. Gain in-depth knowledge of oracle bones, their historical and cultural context, and their pivotal role in the development of Chinese and other East Asian writing systems.
  2. Apply cutting-edge digital humanities techniques to study, analyze, and present these ancient artifacts.
  3. Critically evaluate the strengths, limitations, and ethical considerations of using digital technologies in historical and cultural research.
  4. Collaborate in interdisciplinary teams to create interactive projects that effectively communicate the significance of oracle bones to a general audience.
  5. Contribute to the public understanding of this crucial period in East Asian cultural development through hands-on experience with digital tools and historical research.

Instructors:

Gang Liu, Teaching Professor, Department of Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics

Jonathan Walton, Assistant Teaching Professor, IDeATe and Entertainment Technology Center

Class time:

MW 11:00am-12:20pm