Aims and Fit of Module

This module is designed to offer a critical overview of some of the main developments and issues in mainland Chinese cinema, locating them in a variety of contexts (historical, cultural, socio-political, industrial, aesthetic, local and global). The module aims to:

	Interrogate the concept of national cinema in relation to the number of sites of film production competing for legitimacy with respect to Chinese identity (mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the cultural output of the Chinese diaspora), as well as in relation to an increasingly transnational and globalised mode of film production and distribution. 

	Trace the development of various types of Chinese films (arthouse, independent, genre and commercial cinema)

	Situate Chinese film within the context of Chinese artistic traditions (literature, Peking opera etc.), as well as in relation to television and new media. 

	Identify and analyse various genres in both Maoist and post-socialist China, as well as pan-Asian genres (the martial arts film)

	Examine Chinese film movements (the Fifth and the Sixth generations, the New Documentary movement), through specific case studies. 

Explore issues of representation of gender, class, ethnicity in Chinese films.

Learning outcomes

A Analyse and critically engage with the intellectual debates and key concepts introduced in the module.

B Demonstrate insight into the major forces that shaped the development of the Chinese film industry.

C Develop skills in the close textual analysis of Chinese films.

D Relate Chinese film to cultural, social and political issues of the nation.

Method of teaching and learning

Lectures, seminars and film screenings