CHIN 055. Chinese and Sinophone Cinemas: Silent Era to Digital Age

(Cross-listed as LITR 055CH)
This course surveys key works, genres, and movements in Chinese and Sinophone cinemas from the silent era to the digital age. Topics will span from formal aesthetics and historical representations to the dynamics of local film industries, transnational productions, and the global politics of recognition. No prior knowledge of Chinese culture or film studies is required; instead, the course aims to provide students with foundational insights into modern Chinese and Sinophone cultural histories through the lens of cinema. It equips students with essential analytical tools for interpreting film and audiovisual media, including narrative, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, and sound.
In addition to exploring critical approaches, the course fosters creative engagement by encouraging students to collaborate on making their own short films. This process begins with illustrating film terminology in the initial weeks and culminates in the "Golden Phoenix Awards," a class event showcasing final projects with awards given in various categories akin to the Oscars. Students will enterprise with the digital media technologies and experiment with unorthodox ways of looking at the world through amateur filmmaking.
Humanities.
1 credit.
Eligible for ASIA, CPLT, ASAM, FMST
Fall 2024. Nan.
Catalog chapter: Modern Languages and Literatures: Chinese
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/chinese

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