Hollywood and Chinese Cinema

Code

INCM3088

School

School of International Communications

Level

3

Credits

20

Semesters

Spring China

Summary

This module introduces students to concepts in transnational cinema studies, taking a comparative look at two large nation film industries: China and America. Students will consider Chinese- and English-language cinemas in an industrial capacity, including their development and their use as cultural capital, as well as literature on soft power as it is applied to Chinese and American cinema. They will learn methods for reading individual texts within the context of transnational politics and cultural exchange. Students will be encouraged, in their analyses, to engage with the ethics of filmmaking in a changing, globalised cinema landscape in which film funding and distribution seldom defers to cartographic boundaries. This course emphasises the practical application of concepts in comparative cinema studies, cine-ethics, cultural studies, public diplomacy and Chinese studies as frameworks to think through film industries and analysis.

Please note this module is assessed at the end of Spring semester.  First sit/ Resit exams are scheduled normally in the summer and can take the same form as the missing/ failed component of the assessment (exam, essay etc.) or other form, as decided by the School.

Target Students

Priority is given to students from the School of International Communication but it also welcomes students from other schools with an interest in cinema, culture industries, and the transnational politics of entertainment media.

Classes

• One 1-hour seminar each week for 10 weeks
• One 1-hour lecture each week for 10 weeks

Further Activity Detail: 270 hours of independent study

Assessment

• 80% coursework 1: 3,500 words
• 20% Presentation 1: 10 minute presentation

Assessed by end of spring semester

Educational Aims

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the module, students will be able to demonstrate: Knowledge and Understanding A student completing this course will typically have: • Knowledge and a critical understanding of the history and development of Chinese and America cinemas (A1). • The ability to analyse Chinese and American cinemas through broader theoretical frameworks and reflect critically on the texts (A2). • An awareness and understanding of how cinema reflects the societies and cultures in which it is produced (A3). Intellectual Skills By the end of the programme students should have an ability to: • Gather, process and evaluate information from a variety of paper, audio-visual and electronic sources (B1). • Reflect and judge in light of evidence and argument (B2). • Understand concepts and ideas and relate them to specific problems (B3). • Identify and describe questions and problems (B4). • Apply techniques and concepts appropriate for the analysis of social, political and historical materials (B5). • Apply techniques and concepts appropriate for the analysis of literary and cultural materials (B6). Professional/Practical Skills On successful completion of the programme, students should be able to: • Select, sift and synthesise information from a wide range of sources (C1). • Identify and compare key arguments in primary and/or secondary source materials (C2). • Use IT to access sources and information and to complete assignments (C4). • Understand, process, and express complex ideas in English (C5). Transferable/Key Skills By the end of the programme, students should be able to: • Manage large, disparate and often incomplete bodies of information (D2). • Express themselves clearly, coherently and fluently in writing through essays and reports (D3). • Give a clear, fluent and well-structured oral presentation (D4). • Work and learn actively with others (D5). • Manage and take responsibility for their own learning (D6). • Use IT for research and presentation purposes (D7).

Conveners

• Mr Zhaoyu Zhu