Aims and Fit of Module

To investigate the ways in which Western discourse on China has or has not changed through history 

To reflect critically on how China is represented in Western discourses through a variety of print, visual and electronic media. 

Learning outcomes

A. describe a range of portrayals concerning China and locate them within particular contexts in writing and in the form of a seminar;

B. reflect critically on the cultural, geographical and linguistic identity of China by the ways in which China is portrayed;

C. account for differences in intercultural and intergroup perceptions relating to China and its population;

d. identify, evaluate and study primary and secondary sources of relevance to the portrayal of China across a range of media;

e. gain a basis in theoretical and historical understandings of representation to include but not limited to this history of colonialism in Asia and China, Orientalism, and contemporary social and political movements which effect changes in media representation of China;

f. analyse how Western-centric concepts of tradition and modernity inflect specific readings of China, ones which are often at odds with how many Chinese read their own culture and society. 

Method of teaching and learning

This module will be taught through weekly lecture and seminars, including film screenings, radio programmes (especially podcasts) and media articles.