Asian Studies 211PT - Topics in Asian Studies: 'From Shadow Puppets to Digital Screens'

This course provides a comprehensive exploration of the rich and diverse world of Chinese films, offering students a deep understanding of the historical, cultural, and artistic dimensions that shape this dynamic film tradition. We will highlight four major periods: The May Fourth and New Cultural Movement (1919-1930), the socialist era, the transnational developments since the 1980s in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and the current digital era. We will treat films as a window on the ongoing narrative of a people making history and responding to changing circumstances of revolution, reform, political movements, diaspora, and modernization.