Admission requirements
Admission to the MA Asian Studies (60 EC, 120 EC or research). Other interested students should contact the lecturer prior to registration.
Description
The world-renowned masterpieces of Kurosawa and Ozu, the kung fu epics of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, the recent unprecedented Oscar wins of Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, and countless other films from Japan, South Korea, and the Chinese diaspora have made East Asian cinema one of the region’s most visible cultural products of the past seventy years. Popular film plays a large role in the constructing the cultural identity of modern societies, but Hollywood casts a long shadow over national cinemas. Critical discussions of East Asian cinema from both within and without the region have frequently approached these works as either the alien Other of Hollywood, or else subordinate to its influence.
In this course we will seek to move beyond East-vs-West and Hollywood-centric approaches to analysing East Asian cinema. While considering the unique historical development of commercial film industries in the region, we will also take into account the inherently transnational and globalising nature of cinema. How have filmmakers in Japan, Korea, and the Chinese-speaking world responded to the hegemonic influence of the Classical Hollywood style to create works that operate in a common global vernacular, yet also forge new and distinct modes of expression? In an attempt to answer this question, we will read classic works of criticism that adopt an arguably Orientalist approach to the study of East Asian film, as well as more recent scholarship that attempts to escape the binaries that defined previous discussions. Close analysis of classic and contemporary East Asian film will provide context for these debates as well as introduce some of the major works of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cinema to students.
Course Objectives
Read and critically evaluate influential academic arguments for East Asian cinema as a unique form of filmmaking.
Understand the principles of the Classical Hollywood style and the ways East Asian cinema conforms to and deviates from the model.
Become familiar with how East Asian societies have theorized and positioned their own cinema in relation to global cinema.
Gain a working knowledge of key historical moments in the development of East Asian cinema, including the Japanese Golden Age, Hong Kong martial arts films, and government involvement in the commercial cinema of mainland China and South Korea.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of Instruction
Seminar.
Students are expected to attend all sessions having read and/or viewed the assigned materials in advance, and to actively participate in classroom discussion. If a student is unable to attend a session for a valid reason, they should notify the instructor in writing as soon as possible. Unexcused absences will significantly lower the student’s participation score.
Assessment Method
Assessment and weighing
| Partial Assessment | Weighing |
|---|---|
| Attendance/Participation | 40% |
| 3 Online Response Essays (approx. 500 words and 20% each) | 60% |
The overall course grade is the weighted average of the two components listed above; however, all students must receive a minimum score of 5.5 (=6) for each component in order to pass the course.
Resit
If the overall average grade of the three response essays is below 5.5, students may submit a paper of approx. 1,500 words, with a topic and due date to be determined in consultation with the instructor. The grade for the paper will replace the grade for the response essays.
There are no resit opportunities for the Attendance/Participation component.
Inspection and feedback
If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will be organized.
Reading list
Required reading materials will be made available on BrightSpace or held on reserve at the library. Opportunities will be made to view any required films, either in group screenings or online.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Vrieshof.