Course syllabus

30 points

Course Convenor: 

Professor Paul Clark   paul.clark@auckland.ac.nz

Course delivery format: Small-group discussion.

(Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online)

Course Description:              

Chinese feature films and other popular cultural phenomena (e.g., music, television, fashion, the internet) provide a medium for understanding a society undergoing rapid change. The emphasis is on contemporary developments, including youth cultures and Beijing from the 1960s to the present day. No knowledge of Chinese language is required.

We start with two films from the 1930s to examine progressive ideas and social change before 1949. Everyday life is the next focus, including in the Cultural Revolution decade (1966-1976). Topics include clothing and collective memories of the era reflected in film. The second half of the course examines social change in the reform era (post-1978), with a particular emphasis on changes in Beijing. 

This small-group discussion course focuses particularly on developments since the 1960s in China, with an emphasis on social change and its manifestations in films and popular culture.  But we start in the 1930s, a time of cultural foment that can be compared with the 1980s.  Students each week read chapters and articles and watch films for discussion in class.  Coursework includes a research bibliography, leading a class discussion one week, and a course essay in an area of your own interest.  Coursework is equivalent to 10,000 words.