Waiyee Loh
Associate Professor of World Literature
The British Empire in East Asia I
(AY 2025/2026, Semester 1)
Download course syllabus here: Advanced Seminar in World Literature I syllabus.pdf
Week 1. Introduction
Britain and China: Empires Entwined
Lecture slides: W1. Introduction (for students).pptx
Week 2. Tea and opium: Part I
Reading: Le Fanu, "Green Tea"
Lecture slides: W2. Tea opium.pptx
Week 3. Tea and opium: Part II
Reading: Le Fanu, "Green Tea"
Lecture slides: W3. Tea opium.pptx
Week 4. Producing opium in Bengal: Farmers
Reading: Extracts from Ghosh, Sea of Poppies
Lecture slides: W4. Producing opium in Bengal farmers.pptx
PDF: Ghosh. Sea of Poppies.pdf
Week 5. Shipping opium from Calcutta to Canton: Sailors and overseers
Reading: extracts from Ghosh, Flood of Fire
Lecture slides: W5. Shipping opium sailors overseers (for students).pptx
Week 6. Shipping opium from Calcutta to Canton: Lascars
Reading: extracts from Ghosh, Flood of Fire
Lecture slides:
Week 7. Trading opium in Canton: The British
Reading: extracts from Ghosh, Flood of Fire
Lecture slides:
Week 8. Trading opium in Canton: The Parsis
Reading: extracts from Ghosh, Flood of Fire
Lecture slides:
Week 9. The Opium War: British Indian soldiers
Reading: extracts from Ghosh, Flood of Fire
Lecture slides:
Week 10. The Opium War: The Manchu government
Reading: extracts from Ghosh, Flood of Fire
Lecture slides:
Week 11. The Opium War: Hong Kong Island
Reading: extracts from Ghosh, Flood of Fire
Lecture slides:
Week 12. Opium in the imperial metropolis
Reading: extract from Dickens, The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Reading: Images of opium dens in 19th-century London
Lecture slides:
PDF: Dickens. Mystery of Edwin Drood.pdf
Images: Luke Fildes, “In the Court”.jpg
Gustave Doré, “Opium Smoking – the Lascar’s Room in ‘Edwin Drood’”.jpg
Week 13. Research skills workshop
Lecture slides:
Week 14. Conclusion
Lecture slides:
Week 15. Essay due
Assignment instructions: Assignment instructions.pdf
Recommended reading list: Graduation Project recommended reading list.pdf