Module description
This module provides an advanced introduction to a specific topic within the broad field of Asian cinema. Depending on the module convener, this module may offer a survey of the history, historiographical debate, industrial background, reception, theoretical frameworks, and research methodologies of the studies of the cinematic productions and cultures of a particular Asian country, locality, or region, with an eye on its globality and transnationality. Alternatively, it may offer an in-depth discussion of the debate on Asia as method, as well as the research strategies and topics related to the comparative studies between Asian and Euro-American film and media theory and philosophy. This module will highlight the importance of the studies of Asian cinemas within their specific historical, socio-political, and culturo-linguistic contexts, and how these contexts are also cross-cultural and transnational. Some module conveners may focus on mainstream industrial productions, while others will focus on art and experimental cinemas. They will also examine how these cultural productions are intricately connected with socio-political issues including gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, class, and religious differences. Some of these topics may also help us think further about our global geopolitical order, questions of biopolitical precarity, marginalisation, postcolonialism, and (post-socialist) neoliberalism.
Assessment details
4000-word final essay
Teaching pattern
10 x screenings (up to 3 hours); 10 x seminars