Global Chinese Cinema & Cultural Studies Course Syllabus

Category II: Global Cultures & Traditions

EALC 150g: Global Chinese Cinema & Cultural Studies Genre in Transnational Circulation Spring Semester, 2014

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-1:50 Taper Hall of Humanities (THH) 202 Professor: Brian Bernards (Ph.D.), bernards@usc.edu Office Hours: THH 356P, Tuesdays, 10-12
Teaching Assistants: Gladys Mac (gmac@usc.edu, THH 361: Tue & Thu, 11-12) Yunwen Gao (yunwenga@usc.edu, THH 361: Tue & Thu, 2-3) Wooseok Kang (wooseokk@usc.edu, THH 361: Tue & Thu, 2-3) Discussion Sections: 2 (Fri, 9-9:50, THH 214, #25652R, Kang) 3 (Thu, 9-9:50, VKC 205, #25653R, Kang) 4 (Fri, 10-10:50, VKC 201, #25654R, Gao) 5 (Thu, 10-10:50, THH B10, #25655R, Mac) 6 (Fri, 9-9:50, VKC 201, #25656R, Gao) 7 (Thu, 9-9:50, THH B10, #25657R, Mac) Course Website: Log on using your USC account at www.blackboard.usc.edu Course Description: This course examines Chinese-language cinemas through the transnational production and circulation of three distinct genres with a rich cultural genealogy: the musical, the martial arts film, and the family melodrama. Each of these genres draws upon traditional Chinese aesthetic practices such as opera, theater, dance, acrobatics, poetry, folktale, calligraphy, even cooking. The evolution of these genres is intricately tied to the global visions that have defined Chinese cinema since its origins. Emerging from multiple centers of production, such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Beijing, and Singapore, and incorporating various Chinese languages (Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese, and Hokkien), the imagined traditional Chinese culture in these films often speaks to local political concerns and social issues of their era of production. Our engagement with these genres and their historical contexts provides insight into the cultural and political significance of their narratives. Our examination of these three genres in their global context also emphasizes how they are visually repackaged, marketed, and consumed by different transnational communities of spectators. We will pay particular attention to the various motivations behind transnational production while assessing potential cross-cultural resonances, Page 1 of 10

Global Chinese Cinema & Cultural Studies Course Syllabus

Category II: Global Cultures & Traditions

discrepancies, translations, and misinterpretations. All films are subtitled in English. No knowledge of Chinese languages or history is presumed or required. Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, you will hopefully: 1) Be able to articulate the ways in which musicals, martial arts films, and family melodramas have evolved as Chinese-language cinemas continue to globalize. 2) Be able to critically identify the ways in which global Chinese-language cinemas articulate, address, or relate to the distinct contexts of different transnational communities of viewers. 3) Understand how to write a paper of close film analysis that is built around a central problem or question with a coherent argument and critical and substantive interpretation. Required Texts: All readings listed in the course schedule are mandatory . You must complete each weeks readings prior to your discussion section or Thursdays lecture, whichever comes first. In addition to discussing the films, class discussions and papers should also address the various readings, the validity of their arguments, and their relationship to the films: o All readings are available in PDF format on the Content page of the main class website under Course Readings. How to Access the Films: Films are not screened in class and there are no outside screenings scheduled for this course. You must watch the films on your own time before attending Tuesday lectures. On the main class website (in the Complete Films folder of the Blackboard Content page), you can find the links to view all of the required films for the course. Most of these films are instantly streamed through USC Dornsife with copyright permission for educational purposes only downloading, copying, and sharing is strictly prohibited by law . Others are available for instant streaming on Amazon Instant Video (accessible through the link on Blackboard). Copies of all the DVDs are also available through ARES on 4-hr. reserve at Leavey Library. During lectures and sections, the TAs and I will highlight important scenes that relate to the discussion and course themes (these clips will also be available on Blackboard under Highlighted Film Clips). Additional viewings outside class are critical in preparation for your film analyses and the final exam. Here is a list of the films in order of screening with English and Chinese title, directors name (family names in capitals), and year of production provided. Musicals The Love Eterne (Dir. LI Han-hsiang , 1963) Hong Kong Nocturne (Dir. INOUE Umetsugu , 1967) Perhaps Love (Dir. Peter Ho-sun CHAN , 2005) Cape No. 7 (Dir. WEI Te-sheng , 2008) 881 (Dir. Royston TAN , 2007) (available 2/10-3/10 only) Martial Arts Films The Big Boss (Dir. LO Wei , 1971) Page 2 of 10

Global Chinese Cinema & Cultural Studies Course Syllabus

Category II: Global Cultures & Traditions

Supercop (Police Story 3) ( 3) (Dir. Stanley TONG , 1992) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Dir. Ang LEE , 2000) Hero (Dir. ZHANG Yimou , 2002) Family Melodramas Eat Drink Man Woman (Dir. Ang LEE , 1994) Together (Dir. CHEN Kaige , 2002) 12 Storeys (Dir. Eric KHOO , 1997) Aftershock (Dir. FENG Xiaogang , 2010) Student Requirements & Grading. Detailed instructions and evaluation rubrics for all graded work for this class are available on the main course website in the Blackboard Content page. 1) Participation and Preparation (15%). Students are required to come to class prepared, having watched the film (by Tuesday) and completed the required readings (by Thursday). In discussion sections, students are expected to contribute thoughtful comments, raise critical questions, actively listen, and engage their classmates. Student learning in this course is not only assessed on the outcome of papers and exams, but also on consistent performance as demonstrated by critical engagement with films, readings, and course themes. The TAs and I will do our part to create an environment that fosters the open and inclusive sharing of ideas, thoughts, and questions. Students should access the weekly discussion questions (on both films and readings) from Blackboard in advance of discussion sections. 2) Seven (7) Tuesday Film Pop Quizzes (1% each 7% total). We will begin seven of the Tuesday lectures (at 12:35 sharp) with a pop quiz to test your comprehension of that weeks film. The quizzes will consist of two (2) multiple choice questions. There will be no make-up quizzes. 3) Seven (7) Thursday Reading Pop Quizzes (1% each 7% total). We will begin seven of the Thursday lectures (at 12:35 sharp) with a pop quiz to test your comprehension of that weeks assigned readings. The quizzes will consist of two (2 ) multiple choice questions. There will be no make-up quizzes. 4) Four (4) Discussion Board Posts (3% each 12% total). For each film and set of readings, there will be a discussion board posted on your sections website. Post a response of at least 400 words on this discussion board to four films of your choice. Posts should not be a simple summary of plot, but should begin with your reaction to the reading or film: what was your experience of watching this narrative? Speculate as to what the director might be trying to convey by giving readers or viewers this experience. Address specific scenes or use of cinematic technology (soundtrack, color, etc.). Use material from the readings to elaborate by addressing specific passages or quotes. You may only post once to a given forum. You are also encouraged to reply to and comment on each others posts. Further instructions and sample posts from past courses are available on the main class website. Posts are due Wednesday nights by 10pm. 5) One (1) Article Review (5%). Write a 2-3 page review of an assigned reading we have already covered in the course. The review should identify the topic of the article and the main argument, briefly summarize how the author constructs this argument (i.e. supporting evidence), and assess the validity of the authors arguments. Please base your Page 3 of 10

Global Chinese Cinema & Cultural Studies Course Syllabus

Category II: Global Cultures & Traditions

6)

7)

8)

9)

assessments on information provided in the article, what you know from other readings or in-class discussions, and your understanding of the theme according to your own experience of viewing the films. Due in Word (.doc or .docx) format to your sections Blackboard site by Fri, 2/21, 5pm. Late papers not accepted. One (1) Group Presentation (6%). Each student will be assigned to a group of five (5) students to present a 20-minute report of a Chinese-language film (not listed on the syllabus) in one of three genres not covered in the course: the gangster film, the ghost film, or the romantic comedy. Your presentation should begin by playing the trailer, and then continue with: a brief synopsis of the film, its cultural, historical, and geographical context (where does it take place? Where are the director and lead actors from?), its visual style and technique, and how it fits or deviates from the conventions of its identifiable genre. The presentation will be followed by a 5-minute Q&A. A list of possible films for outside viewing is available on Blackboard. Responsibilities should be evenly divided among group members. Half of your grade for the presentation will be a group score and the other half an individual score. Groups and presentation dates will be assigned on the first day of sections. Two (2) Film Analyses (15% each 30% total). These papers, of 4-6 pages in length each (double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman Font), will closely examine one film on the course syllabus. Each paper should cover a film from a different genre : for example, if you wrote about a martial arts film for your first analysis, you need to write about a musical of family melodrama for your second analysis. Papers should be wellorganized (with clear introductory and concluding paragraphs) around a central argument or problem related to the film. Each paper should have a creative title. If you use outside sources as references, you must cite them using the MLA format. You should refer to specific scenes and address such aspects as style, generic convention, cinematography, and soundtrack as well as narrative and plot. For historical and theoretical context, papers must cite at least one course reading, and you are welcome to cite the Lecture Notes available on the main course website. Sample student papers are available for your reference on the main class website. 1st analysis due Fri, 3/14; 2nd due Wed, 4/30 in Word (.doc or .docx) format to your sections Blackboard site by 5pm. No late papers. One (1) Peer Review (3%). After you submit your first film analysis, you will be randomly assigned an anonymous classmates paper from your section. You will review the classmates essay using the instructions and questions provided on the main class website. Due in Word format to your sections Blackboard site by Fri, 3/28, 5pm. Final Examination (15%), Wednesday, May 14, 2-4. Bring a blank examination book to THH 202. The exam will consist of identifications (20%), short answers of 1 paragraph each (40%), responses to film clips (20%), and 1 short essay of at least 1 page (20%). The final study guide will be available Thu, 5/1. B = 83-86% B- = 80-82% C+ = 76-79% C = 72-75% C- = 69-71% D+ = 65-68% D = 61-64% D- = 60% F = below 60%

A = 94% and above A- = 90-93% B+ = 87-89%

Student Resources: o Academic Honesty. All academic work for this course must meet USCs standards for academic honesty. Students are responsible for informing themselves about those Page 4 of 10

Global Chinese Cinema & Cultural Studies Course Syllabus

Category II: Global Cultures & Traditions

standards before performing any academic work (see http://www.usc.edu/studentaffairs/student-conduct/grad_ai.htm). Students turning in any written assignment or exam that is not entirely of his or her own creation will be reported to the Dean of Students. For tips on how to avoid plagiarism, see http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/studentconduct/ug_plag.htm. On how to cite sources and construct a Works Cited page using the proper format, see http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/RES5e_ch08_o.html. o The Writing Center. THH 216: http://dornsife.usc.edu/writingcenter/ o Students with Disabilities. Students requesting academic accommodations based on a disability are required to register with Disability Services and Programs at the beginning of each semester. For information on the registering procedure, visit http://sait.usc.edu/academicsupport/centerprograms/dsp/home_index.html Course Schedule I. COURSE OVERVIEW Week 1 Course Overview and Explanation of Syllabus Lectures: o Tue, 1/14: Geographical, Historical, and Thematic Context (1) o Thu, 1/16: The Shaw Brothers and the Origins of Pan -Chinese Cinema (2) Sections: o TA and student introductions. Formation of groups for in-class presentations. o Accompanying Reading: Sheldon H. Lu and Emilie Yueh-yu Yeh, Introduction: Mapping the Field of Chinese-Language Cinema, in Chinese-Language Film: Historiography, Poetics, Politics (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2005),1-24 II. THE MUSICAL Week 2 Film: o The Love Eterne (Dir. LI Han-hsiang , 1963) Lectures: o Tue, 1/21: Introduction to the Musical Genre and Huangmei Opera (3) o Thu, 1/23: The Love Eterne, Gender Play, and the Diasporic Imagination (4) Sections: o Film & Reading Discussion: Peggy Chiao Hsiung-ping, The Female Consciousness: The World of Signification and Safe Extramarital Affairs A 40th Year Tribute to The Love Eterne, trans. Stephen Teo, in The Shaw Screen: A Preliminary Study, ed. Wong Ain-ling (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Film Archive, 2003), 75-85 Tan See Kam and Annette Aw, The Love Eterne: Almost a (Heterosexual) Love Story, in Chinese Films in Focus II, ed. Chris Berry (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008), 137-143 Page 5 of 10

Global Chinese Cinema & Cultural Studies Course Syllabus Week 3

Category II: Global Cultures & Traditions

Film: o Hong Kong Nocturne (Dir. INOUE Umetsugu , 1968) Lectures: o Tue, 1/28: From Shanghai to Hong Kong: The City, the Urban Woman, and the Nightclub in Chinese Cinema (5) o Thu, 1/30: Hong Kong A-go-go: Colonial Capitalism and Political Disengagement (6) Sections: o Film & Reading Discussion: D.W. Davis and Emilie Yeh Yueh-yu, Inoue at Shaws: The Wellspring of Youth, in The Shaw Screen, 255-271 Paul Pickowicz, Three Readings of Hong Kong Nocturne, in China Forever: The Shaw Brothers and Diasporic Cinema, ed. Poshek Fu (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2008), 95-114 Week 4 Film: o Perhaps Love (Dir. Peter Ho-sun CHAN , 2005) Lectures: o Tue, 2/4: Pan-Asian Postmodernism and Post-1997 Hong Kong Cinema (7) o Thu, 2/6: Making Metafiction: Mainlandization and Cinematic Pan -Asianism in Perhaps Love (8) Sections: o Group #1 Presentation o Film Discussion o Accompanying Readings: Stephen Teo, Promise and Perhaps Love: Pan-Asian Production and the Hong KongChina Interrelationship, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies 9.3 (2008): 341-358 Chu Yiu Wai, Hybridity and (G)local Identity in Postcolonial Hong Kong Cinema, in Chinese-Language Film, 312-328 Week 5 Film: o Cape No. 7 (Dir. WEI Te-sheng , 2008) Lectures: o Tue, 2/11: The Ocean View of Taiwan: An Islands Mixed Roots (9) o Thu, 2/13: From Provincial Nativism to Pan-Asian Multiculturalism: Cape No. 7 as a Pop Musical (10) Sections: o Film & Reading Discussion: Page 6 of 10

Global Chinese Cinema & Cultural Studies Course Syllabus

Category II: Global Cultures & Traditions

Sheng-mei Ma, Found(l)ing Taiwanese: From Chinese Fatherland to Japanese Okasan, in Diaspora Literature and Visual Culture: Asia in Flight (London: Routledge, 2011), 48-58 Chialan Sharon Wang, Memories of the Future: Remaking Taiwanese -ness in Cape No. 7, Journal of Chinese Cinemas 6.2 (2012): 135-151 Week 6 Film: o 881 (Dir. Royston TAN , 2007) Lectures: o Tue, 2/18: Sonic Diaspora: Singing for Hungry Ghosts in 881 (11) o Thu, 2/20: The Hokkien Song-Stage: Performing Culture and Language Politics in Singapore (12) Sections: o Group #2 Presentation o Film Discussion o Accompanying Readings: Gaik Cheng Khoo, What is Diasporic Chinese Cinema in Southeast Asia? Journal of Chinese Cinemas 3.1 (June 2009): 69-72 Brenda Chan, Gender and Class in the Singaporean Film 881, Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media 51(Spring 2009): http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/jc51.2009/881/index.html Article review due to Blackboard by Friday, Feb 21, 5pm. III. THE MARTIAL ARTS FILM Week 7 Film: o The Big Boss (Dir. LO Wei , 1971) Lectures: o Tue, 2/25: Introduction to the Martial Arts Genre, Kung Fu Subgenre, and Bruce Lee Global Iconography (13) o Thu, 2/27: Underdog Triumphs: Bruce Lees Migrant Labor and Minority Politics (14) Sections: o Film & Reading Discussion: Chris Berry, Stellar Transit: Bruce Lees Body, or, Chinese Masculinity in a Transnational Frame, in Embodied Modernities: Corporeality, Representation, and Chinese Cultures, ed. Fran Martin and Larissa Heinrich (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2006), 327-352 (CR) David Desser, Fists of Legend: Constructing Chinese Identity in the Hong Kong Cinema, in Chinese-Language Film, 280-297 Week 8 Page 7 of 10

Global Chinese Cinema & Cultural Studies Course Syllabus

Category II: Global Cultures & Traditions

Film: o Supercop (Police Story 3) ( 3) (Dir. Stanley TONG , 1992) Lectures: o Tue, 3/4: Stunts and Slapstick: Jackie Chan and the Hong Kong Action-Comedy (15) o Thu, 3/6: Creating a Supercop: The Handover and Flexible Homecoming (16) Sections: o Film & Reading Discussion: Stephen Teo, Jacky Chan: The Other Kung Fu Dragon, in Hong Kong Cinema: The Extra Dimensions (London: British Film Institute, 1997), 122-134 Sheldon H. Lu, Hong Kong Diaspora Film and Transnational Television Drama: From Homecoming to Exile to Flexible Citizenship, in Chinese-Language Film, 298-311 Week 9 Film: o Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Dir. Ang LEE , 2000) Lectures: o Tue, 3/11: A Return to Rivers and Lakes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (17) o Thu, 3/13: Unbounded: Chineseness, the Sinophone, and the Pan-Pacific Blockbuster (18) Sections: o Group #3 Presentation: o Film Discussion o Accompanying Readings: Shu-mei Shih, Introduction, in Visuality and Identity: Sinophone Articulations across the Pacific (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007), 1-8 Michael Berry, Ang Lee: Freedom in Film, in Speaking in Images: Interviews with Contemporary Chinese Filmmakers (New York: Columbia University Press, 2005), 324-361 First film analysis due to Blackboard by Friday, Mar 14, 5pm. Week 10 Spring Break Holiday. No Classes. Week 11 Lectures: o Tue, 3/25: The Final Examination: Instructions for Preparation (19) o Thu, 3/27: No lecture. Instructor out of town. Sections: o Group #4 and Group #5 Presentations Peer review due to Blackboard by Friday, Mar 28, 5pm. Page 8 of 10

Global Chinese Cinema & Cultural Studies Course Syllabus Week 12

Category II: Global Cultures & Traditions

Film: o Hero (Dir. ZHANG Yimou , 2002) Lectures: o Tue, 4/1: Persuasive Swordplay: Competing Grand Narratives in Hero (20) o Thu, 4/3: Mobilizing a Superpower: Zhang Yimou and the Global Arrival of China (21) Sections: o Film & Reading Discussion: Mark Harrison, Zhang Yimous Hero and the Globalisation of Propaganda, Millenium: Journal of International Studies 34.2 (2006): 569-572 Wendy Larson, Zhang Yimous Hero: Dismantling the Myth of Cultural Power, Journal of Chinese Cinemas 2.3 (Nov 2008): 181-196 IV. THE FAMILY MELODRAMA Week 13 Film: o Eat Drink Man Woman (Dir. Ang LEE , 1994) Lectures: o Tue, 4/8: Introduction to the Family Melodrama (22) o Thu, 4/10: Ethno-Culinary Tourism and Immigrant Allegory in Eat Drink Man Woman (23) Sections: o Film & Reading Discussion: Sheng-mei Ma, Ang Lees Domestic Tragicomedy: Immigrant Nostalgia, Exotic/Ethnic Tour, Global Market, Journal of Popular Culture 30.1 (Summer 1996): 191-201 Eleanor Ty, Exoticism Repositioned: Old and New World Pleasures in Wangs Joy Luck Club and Lees Eat Drink Man Woman, in Changing Representations of Minorities, East and West: Selected Essays, ed. Larry E. Smith and John Rieder (Honolulu: University of Hawaii College of Languages, Linguistics, and Literature, 1996), 59-74 Week 14 Film: o Together (Dir. CHEN Kaige , 2002) Lectures: o Tue, 4/15: Tugging at Heartstrings: The Emotional Symphony of Family in Together (24) o Thu, 4/17: One Child Prodigy: Uneven Development and Social Advancement in Chinas Reform Era (25) Page 9 of 10

Global Chinese Cinema & Cultural Studies Course Syllabus

Category II: Global Cultures & Traditions

Sections: o Film & Reading Discussion: Brian Hu, Together, Film Quarterly 57.4 (Summer 2004): 42-47 Michael Berry, Chen Kaige: Historical Revolution and Cinematic Rebellion, in Speaking in Images, 82-106 Week 15 Film: o 12 Storeys (Dir. Eric KHOO , 1997) Lectures: o Tue, 4/22: Channel Surfing: The Family Melodramas of 12 Storeys (26) o Thu, 4/24: Building a Fine City: Visions of Public Housing and Prosperity in Singapore (27) Sections: o Film & Reading Discussion: Gina Marchetti, Global Modernity, Postmodern Singapore, and the Cinema of Eric Khoo, in Chinese-Language Film, 329-361 Beng Huat Chua and Wei-Wei Yeo, Singapore Cinema: Eric Khoo and Jack Neo Critique from the Margins and the Mainstream, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies 4.1 (2003): 117-125 Week 16 Film: o Aftershock (Dir. FENG Xiaogang , 2010) Lectures: o Tue, 4/29: All Shook Up: Post-Traumatic Stress and Disaster Recovery in Aftershock o Thu, 5/1: The Civic Spirit: Feng Xiaogang and Domestic Commercial Cinema Film & Reading Discussion: o Rui Zhang, The Corporate Era of Chinese Cinema in the New Millennium and Fengs Post-New Year Production, in The Cinema of Feng Xiaogang: Commercialization and Censorship in Chinese Cinema after 1989 (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2008), 103-122 and 150-152 o Rujie Wang, The Aesthetics of Retroactive Memory: Feng Xiaogangs Aftershock and the Historical Film, Modern Chinese Literature and Culture (Jan 2011): http://mclc.osu.edu/rc/pubs/wangrujie.htm Second film analysis due to Blackboard by Wednesday, Apr 30, 5pm Finals Week Final Exam: Wednesday, May 14, 2-4, THH 202. Bring one regular-sized (8 X 11) blank examination booklet. Do not write anything on booklet, including your name, until test time. Enjoy Your Summer! Page 10 of 10