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ASIAN_LC 202-0 : Women in Chinese Cinema, 1922-present (Women in Chinese Cinema, 1922-present)

Description

The focus of this course is mainland Chinese films about women and by women in twentieth and twenty-first century cinematic horizons. We will address the issue of women as actresses, as celebrities, and as objects, as well as subjects of representations through the intersectional lenses of gender, sexuality, politics, status, and material culture. Our course will be chronologically arranged, and we will screen well-known and lesser-known films, directed by male and female auteurs, in order to explore the dynamics and potentials for representations of women and female figures, such as goddesses, downtrodden proletarians, sex-workers, actresses, heroines, iconoclastic revolutionaries, and filial daughters. In addition to primary sources, we will integrate theoretical work in the field of gender and sexuality studies, feminist studies, and queer theory, as well as Chinese cinema and culture.

The course is open to students interested in the history of modern and contemporary Chinese cinema and culture, and gender and sexuality studies. No familiarity with China and Chinese literature, though helpful, is required.

Learning Objectives:
-Acquisition of knowledge about voices, identities, and women in modern and contemporary Chinese cinema (over a period roughly spanning from the early 1920s to the present). This will mean exposure to primary sources (in English and/or subbed, and for those students able to, in Chinese) produced by Chinese film-makers, as well as to related secondary sources.

-Development of methodological skills in studying, reading, and analyzing the primary and secondary sources related to the themes of the course in individual and communal spaces of dialogue and conversation.

-Growth as independent researchers in the field of Chinese cinema, Asian humanities, and gender and sexuality studies.

-Growth as independent academic thinkers and writers by introducing you to a variety of disciplinary methodologies to think about these topics.

Teaching Method
Discussion and lecture

Evaluation Method
The final grade will be based on the following criteria:
-Active class participation and attendance (discussion, preparation, short assignments) 30%
-Assignments (writing statement, Paper # 1, movie responses, etc.) 35%
-Final Project 35%

Class Materials (required)
All required readings and movies will be available through Canvas.