Designing a Mind-Mapping-Assisted Comparative Literature Course in Chinese Academic Settings

Comparative Literature, a course for junior English majors in China, demands advanced cognitive skills and critical thinking to navigate diverse literary works. However, English majors in China traditionally receive intensive foundational language training in the first two years, which often hinders their seamless transition to the analytical, synthesizing, and evaluative skills required in the latter stages of their studies. Therefore, within the Chinese academic context, we design a literature-oriented Comparative Literature Course for English majors assisted by mind mapping tools. Commencing with an orientation on course objectives and the integration of mind mapping for literature review assistance, the 16-week course entails students attending 8-week theoretical lectures and delivering 8-week group presentations. The posted comments and interviews after the implementation of the course indicate that mind mapping acts as a scaffold for the enhancement of higher-order cognitive abilities and logical reasoning among junior students. Besides, the visualization feature of mind maps facilitates students’ collaborative learning and interactive communication. Additionally, the paper addresses challenges that may arise in the application of this approach and offering insightful suggestions for its potential implementation in other related courses.