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Academic Year 2001/2002
Modern Chinese Cultures: A Visual Perspective
ALIT 205 SP
Through film classics of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, the course surveys China's movie history as an index to her historical and cultural developments throughout the modern era. We will focus on films that convey
crucial social and political meanings in
the context of cultural crises and social turmoils that affected and shaped the filmmakers' intellectual and artistic drive. While critical of cultural stereotypes informed by essentialist views of China, we will
examine how key values of the Chinese
heritage have been contested and reinvented under changing historical conditions and by such diverse social forms as found in Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China. Emphasis will be laid on how the cinematic medium lends
itself to colorfully capturing
distinct ethnic and cultural ethos, social customs and personal psychology in today's Chinese-speaking worlds. Besides working on films, the course will introduce students to readings of basic theories on cultural
production, identity formation and
cross-cultural transfer.
MAJOR READINGS
BOOKS:
Sheldon X. Lu: TRANSNATIONAL CHINESE CINEMAS
A Reading Packet: critical reviews of films as well as writings on social/cultural background.
FILMS:
(Mainland China)
NEW YEAR SACRIFICE
Xie
Fei and U. Lan: THE GIRL FROM
HUMAN
SONG OF YOUTH
Wu Tianming: OLD WELL
Zhang Yimou: TO LIVE
(Taiwan)
Hou Hsiao-hsien: THE PUPPET MASTER
Wan Ren: SUPER CITIZEN KO
Ang Lee: EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN
Tsai Ming-liang: VIVE
L'AMOUR
(Hong Kong)
Stanley Kwan:
ROUGE
Peter Chan: COMRADES, ALMOST A LOVE STORY
Wang Kai-wei: CHUNGKING EXPRESS
EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS
There will be four segmentation exercises, a mid-term exam, one term paper (9-10 pp) and a two-part final.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS
All selected Asian films are shown in video or VCD formats with English subtitles; previous knowledge of either Asian languages or western film studies are not required. An additional class of screening is usually
scheduled before the normal weekly
classes, and attendance is required.
Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed
Drop/Add form to the Registrar's
Office.
COURSE FORMAT:
Lecture
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Level:
UGRD
Credit:
1
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA AL&L
Grading Mode:
Graded
Prerequisites:
NONE
SECTION 01
- Instructor(s): Liu,Xinmin
- Instructor's Course Page
- Times: ..T.R.. 01:10PM-02:30PM; .M..... 07:00PM-09:50PM; Location: FISK115
- Reserved Seats: (Total Limit: 35)
- SR. major: X Jr. major: X
- SR. non-major: X Jr. non-major: X SO: X FR: 6
Special Attributes:
- Curricular Renewal: Ethical Reasoning, Writing
- FYI: First Year Initiative:Special Initiative
Links to Web Resources For This Course.
Last Updated on MAR-19-2002
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