huma 1231 syllabus (spring 2016)
TRANSCRIPT
1
HUMA 1231 – Popular Culture of East Asia
Professor – May-‐yi SHAW ([email protected]) TA – Rena AIKELAMU ([email protected]) & Abel LAU ([email protected])
Class Time: Mon & Wed 12:00nn-‐13:20pm (LT-‐K) Prof. Shaw’s Office Hours: Wed 2-‐5pm or by appointment (Rm 3350)
I. Course Description:
This course provides an overview of the various forms of popular culture – music, film, TV drama, manga/anime, literature, art and design – in modern East Asia (Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan). It explores not only the “uniqueness” of each location’s popular genres but also the shared “interconnectedness” among different East Asian cultures. The key questions that this course attempt to raise and address are – How does East Asian popular culture reflect people’s desire for “modernity” or “modernization” at each location? How has each cultural “wave” or “craze” significantly influenced East Asian relations in the post-‐WWII period? Moreover, as global fascination with East Asian popular culture continues to grow, how has such regional “soft power” begun to inspire global aesthetics and transform both public imagination and understanding of East Asia? By placing the issues of “modernity vs. modernization” and “localization vs. globalization” in the heart of our discussions, this course aims to develop students’ critical thinking beyond the seemingly popular trends and inspire them to form their own reflections and creative responses to the prevalent cultural phenomena that they experience everyday. II. Course Themes & Assignments: Feb 1 & 3 – Introduction: Why Popular Culture Matters?
• Article – “Soft Power” by Joseph Nye • Article – “Best of Both Worlds: Wisteria Tea House and Starbucks” by Lung Yingtai
Feb 8 & 10 – NO CLASS due to Chinese New Year Holidays Feb 15 & 17 – Yearning in the Metropolis: For Love or Modernity??
• TV Drama (selected episodes) Ø Tokyo Love Story (Japan) Ø Winter Sonata (Korea)
Feb 22 & 24 – A Common East Asian Childhood & Adolescence: Shared Memories and Nostalgia Over Expressions of the Indigenous
• Manga/Anime – Dragon Ball (selected episode; Japan) • Anime Film –
Ø My Life as McDull (Hong Kong) Ø Doraemon Stand By Me (Japan)
• Article – “This City is Full of Otaku” by Nakamori Akio Feb 29 & Mar 2 – A Cacophony of Pop Tunes
• Music – Selected songs from J-‐pop, K-‐pop, and C-‐pop singers • Article – “Popular Culture and Masculinity Ideals in East Asia, with Special Reference to China” by Kam Louie
• Response Essay #1 Due – March 12 on Canvas at 11pm Mar 7 & 9 – Screening East Asia I: History & Society on the Silver Screen
• Film – Ø Tokyo Story by Ozu Yasujiro (Japan)
2
Ø Taegukgi by Kang Jegyu (Korea) Mar 14, 16, 21 – Screening East Asia II: Identity on the Silver Screen
• Film – Ø Yiyi by Edward Yang (Taiwan) Ø Aberdeen by Pang Ho-‐cheung (Hong Kong)*
Mar 23 – In-‐class Mid-‐term Exam Mar 30 – NO CLASS
• Please use this time to prepare for your final project. • Project Proposal Due – March 30 on Canvas at 11pm
Apr 6, 11, 13 – Global East Asia I: When Intercultural Exchanges Run Wild
• TV Drama (selected episodes) – Hana Yori Dango (Japan), Meteor Garden (Taiwan) & Boys Over Flowers (Korea)
• Short Story – “A Slow Boat to China” by Murakami Haruki (Japan) • Video – Interview with Murakami Takashi (Japan)
April 18, 20, 25 – Global East Asia II: When China Goes Global
• Film – Ø Pushing Hands by Ang Lee (Taiwan) Ø To Live by Zhang Yimou (China)
April 27 – Class Review
• Final Project – Creative Art Piece Due – April 30 on Canvas at 11pm May 4 – Students’ Presentations
• Selected groups only based on online submissions • Response Essay #2 Due – May 3 on Canvas at 11pm
*Screening Session For materials placed on media reserve or whose online sources could not be found, screening sessions will be held outside the regular classroom hours for English-‐speaking students. *A Field Trip to PMQ, Central (Date & Time TBA later) III. Course Requirements:
• Attendance – 10% • In-‐class Quizzes – 15% • 2 Response Essays – 20% (10% each) • Mid-‐term Exam – 25% • Group Final Project
Ø One creative art – 15% Ø One paper – 15%
Attendance & In-‐Class Quizzes:
• Attendance will be taken through the “Personal Response System” (PRS) by the professor raising one question related to the topic of the week.
• Pop quizzes will be given from time to time in class without prior notice, and each quiz consists of 2 questions that relate to the assignment of that week. So be sure to complete all assignments PRIOR to coming to class.
• Those who are absent on the day of the pop quiz will NOT be permitted to retake the quiz – so be mindful of your attendance!
3
Response Essays:
• Throughout the course, you will need complete 2 response essays (2-‐3 page double-‐spaced; 12-‐point font or smaller) on YOUR OWN reflections on the works assigned in class.
• While there are no right or wrong answers to the response essays, being “truthful, thoughtful, original and introspective” is the key to quality essays.
• All entries need to be submitted as a WORD file on Canvas by the due date. Late submissions will receive reduced marks, and any submissions that are beyond THREE day late will not be accepted.
Mid-‐term Exam:
• The mid-‐term exam will assess your understanding of the themes, topics, and works covered in the first half of the course.
• The exam will comprise several types of questions including definition of terms/phrases, short-‐answer questions, and short essays. The best way to study for the exam is to complete all the assignment and pay close attention to lectures in class!
Group Final Project: • The final group project (4-‐5 students max per group) consists of 2 parts – 1) one creative piece of
art; 2) one group paper. • The final project will ask you to take a creative approach to the themes and topics discussed in this
course by producing an original work of art in one form of popular culture. For example, you could create a short film that conveys your version of the Hong Kong story, write up a short story that reflects a rising new trend among your peers, or compose a song that has the potential of becoming the next “Gangnam Style” in the world!
• The golden rule – the more creative, the better! And this should be a project that “matters to you” and your group mates and reflects what you have learned from this course.
• Please submit your project proposal by March 30th and your creative art piece on Canvas by April 30th at 11pm.
• Each group also needs to submit 1 paper (5-‐7 pages; double-‐spaced, 12 font or smaller) that explains the inspiration, vision, and intent of the project as well as the contribution of each group member. The due date will be announced later but should be around end of May.
IV. Class Rules: • NO plagiarism! – violations (including using online device such as Google translation) will result in
a ZERO on your assignment. • No use of mobile phone – i.e. no talking, texting, emailing, or web browsing on your mobile phone.
Please put your phone on silent mode in class. • RESPECTFUL use of personal laptop – while taking notes on your laptop is gladly welcomed, non-‐
class-‐related use such as checking your email, updating your Facebook status, or online chatting/shopping is NOT. Please be respectful and leave those habits at home!
• Listening etiquette – please listen carefully when someone – whether it is your professor or classmate – is talking. This also means NOT gluing your eyes to the screen of any digital devices when someone is speaking in the room!
• Speaking etiquette – please raise your hand if you would like to ask a question or raise a comment. Please also allow others to finish before you begin!