CHNS3639 Chinese Cinema

UNIT DESCRIPTION

This unit introduces students to the cinema of mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. We will view representative films of different periods and different regions, and read them within their historical and cultural context. We will explore how these films blend "traditional Chinese" and local elements -- plots, symbols, sound, music, performance styles and others -- with "modern" and "global" devices. We will also examine how Chinese cinema thus creates new definitions of Chinese identity and modernity.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
-         Demonstrate knowledge of the broad development of Chinese cinema;
-         Analyze a film using basic critical theory with sensitivity to Chinese cinematic tradition.
In addition, this UOS will help students develop the generic academic skills expected of Arts students, including:
-         research and inquiry (with a focus on ability to research film and write persuasive arguments in academic English)
-         information literacy (with a focus on ability to find appropriate academic sources)
-         personal and intellectual autonomy (in particular, the ability to autonomously develop a tutorial project)
-         ethical, social and professional understanding (especially in regard to academic honesty)
-         communication (especially in regard to discussing works in academic English)

LEARNING STRUCTURE

One two hour lecture per week and one x one hour tutorial per week, as follows:
 
·         Tue 14:00-16:00 [wks 1 to 9, 11 to 13] in Teachers College Lecture Room 448 A22
 
Thursday tutorial as indicated in student timetable
·         Group 1: 12.00-13.00 Thursday Woolley Tutorial N401 A20
·         Group 2: 13.00-14.00 Thursday Woolley Tutorial N401 A20

UNIT SCHEDULE

Semester Two 2016

 

Week	Week beginning	Lecture [content]	Tutorial
1	25 July	Introduction	Discussion
2	01 August	Classic Taiwanese Cinema of the 80s and 90s	Discussion
3	08 August	Taiwanese Romcom and Ang Lee’s Migration to Hollywood	Discussion
4	15 August	The best Hong Kong Dramatic/alternative Films before the Industry Collapsed in the Late 90’s	Discussion
5	22 August	Hong Kong Action Films	Discussion
6	29 August	Socialist Cinema in China (1949 – 1976)	Discussion
7	05 September	The Fifth Generation Mainland Chinese Filmmakers	Discussion
8	12 September	The Fifth Generation, Then and Now	Discussion
9	19 September	Sixth Generation Filmmakers	Discussion
BREAK	26 Sept – 02 Oct	SESSION BREAK
10	03 October*	No lecture	Tutorial held as usual
11	10 October	Women on Screen throughout Chinese History	Discussion
12	17 October	New Directions:  Jia Zhangke	Discussion
13	24 October	Written Exam	Tutorial held as usual
STUVAC	31 October	STUVAC
EXAMS	07 November	EXAM PERIOD commences

* NB: Public holiday on Monday 3 October.

ATTENDANCE代写 CHNS3639 Chinese Cinema

According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 80% of their classes.  If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board.  The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
If a unit of study has a participation mark, your attendance may influence this mark. 
For more information on attendance, see http://sydney.edu.au/arts/current_students/policies.shtml.

READING REQUIREMENTS

All readings are available via Fisher library, as indicated above. Students are not required to purchase a reader or textbooks, but are required to take their own initiative to locate the readings and study them in time, as indicated on the schedule. Library staff are available to assist students with research skills as needed, as are your lecturers and tutors.

ONLINE COMPONENTS

This unit requires regular use of the University’s Learning Management System (LMS), also known as Blackboard. You will need reliable access to a computer and the internet to use the LMS.  The University uses learning analytics to understand student participation on the LMS and improve the student learning experience.
The easiest way to access the LMS is through MyUni (click on the ‘MyUni’ link on the university home page, http://sydney.edu.au  or link directly to the service at https://myuni.sydney.edu.au/. There is a ‘Blackboard LMS’ icon in the top row of the QuickLaunch window on the left hand side of the screen.
If you have any difficulties logging in or using the system, visit the Student Help area of the LMS site, http://sydney.edu.au/elearning/student/help/.
The University’s Privacy Management Plan governs how the University will deal with personal information related to the content and use of its web sites. See http://sydney.edu.au/privacy.shtml  for further details.
Lecture Recording
Lectures delivered in University-owned lecture theatres are recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS.  However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.

ASSESSMENT TASKS AND DUE DATES

The language of assessment is English.
-         Attendance and Participation: 10%
-         Tutorial Project: 20%
-         Essay (1500-2000 words): 30%
-         (topics to be announced Week 5, due Monday Week 12)
-         In Class Test in Week 13: 40%

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

This unit uses standards referenced assessment for award of assessment marks. Students’ assessment will be evaluated solely on the basis of students’ achievement against criteria and standards specified to align with learning outcomes. For reference to criteria and standards, please consult the grade descriptors for the School of Languages and Cultures.

SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENTS

Compliance Statements
All students are required to submit an authorised statement of compliance with all work submitted to the University for assessment, presentation or publication. A statement of compliance certifies that no part of the work constitutes a breach of the Academic Honesty in Coursework Policy 2016.
The format of the compliance statement will be in the form of:
a.     a University assignment cover sheet; or
b.    a University electronic form.
Assessment Submission
Dual online and paper submission
Submission of assessment tasks will be required by the due date. Written assessments must be submitted online through the LMS, and in hard copy at the School of Languages and Cultures Office by 4 pm on the due date.
Online tasks must be completed by 4:00 pm on the due date.
You must complete, sign and attach a cover sheet/compliance statement to any written work handed in for assessment.
 Other assessments, for example visual or oral assessments, must be submitted according to the assessment instructions.
Work not submitted on or before the due date is subject to a penalty of 2% per day late. Refer to http://sydney.edu.au/arts/current_students/late_work.shtml for the Policy on Late Work.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND PLAGIARISM

Academic honesty is a core value of the University, so all students are required to act honestly, ethically and with integrity. This means that the University is opposed to and will not tolerate academic dishonesty or plagiarism, and will treat all allegations of academic dishonesty and plagiarism seriously.  The consequences of engaging in plagiarism and academic dishonesty, along with the process by which they are determined and applied, are set out in the Academic Honesty in Coursework Policy 2016.  You can find these documents University Policy Register at http://sydney.edu.au/policies (enter “Academic Honesty” in the search field).  
Definitions
According to the Policy, plagiarism means representing another person’s work (i.e., ideas, findings or words) as one’s own work by presenting, copying or reproducing it without appropriate acknowledgement of the source.  Academic dishonesty means seeking to obtain or obtaining academic advantage for oneself or others (including in the assessment or publication of work) by dishonest or unfair means.  Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:
·         Resubmission (or recycling) of work that is the same, or substantially the same as work previously submitted for assessment in the same or in a different unit of study. Every unit of study expects each student to produce new material based upon research conducted in that unit;
·         Dishonest plagiarism;
·         Engaging another person to complete or contribute to an assessment in your place; and
·         Various forms of misconduct in examinations (including copying from another student and taking prohibited materials into an examination venue).
Use of Similarity Detection Software
Students should be aware that all written assignments submitted in this unit of study will be submitted to similarity detecting software known as Turnitin. Turnitin searches for matches between text in your written assessment task and text sourced from the Internet, published works, and assignments that have previously been submitted to Turnitin for analysis.
There will always be some degree of text-matching when using Turnitin. Text-matching may occur in use of direct quotations, technical terms and phrases, or the listing of bibliographic material. This does not mean you will automatically be accused of academic dishonesty or plagiarism, although Turnitin reports may be used as evidence in academic dishonesty and plagiarism decision-making processes. Further information about Turnitin is available at http://sydney.edu.au/arts/current_students/plagiarism_and_turnitin.shtml.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATION

Students can apply for Special Consideration for serious illness or misadventure.  An application for special consideration does not guarantee the application will be granted.
Further information on applying for special consideration is available at http://sydney.edu.au/current_students/special_consideration/index.shtml.

OTHER POLICIES AND PROCEDURES RELEVANT TO THIS UNIT OF STUDY

The Faculty’s Student Administration Manual is available for reference here http://sydney.edu.au/arts/current_students/student_admin_manual.shtml. Most day-to-day issues you encounter in the course of completing this Unit of Study can be addressed with the information provided in the Manual. It contains detailed instructions on processes, links to forms and guidance on where to get further assistance.

YOUR FEEDBACK IS IMPORTANT

The Unit of Study Survey
The University conducts an online survey for units of study every semester.  You will be notified by email when the survey opens.  You are encouraged to complete the survey to provide important feedback on the unit just before the end of semester.  You can complete the survey at http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/surveys/complete
 
How Student Feedback has been used to develop this Unit of Study

[Please provide a brief statement of any changes made to this unit as a result of student feedback and student experience from the previous time the unit was offered.  If this is the first time this Unit of Study is being offered, please include a brief statement to this effect.]

STAYING ON TOP OF YOUR STUDY

For full information visit http://sydney.edu.au/arts/current_students/staying_on_top.shtml
The Learning Centre offers workshops in Academic Reading and Writing, Oral communications Skills, Postgraduate Research Skills, Honours, masters Coursework Program, Studying at University, and Workshops for English Language and Learning. Further information about The Learning Centre can be found at http://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/learning_centre/.
The Write Site provides online support to help you develop your academic and professional writing skills. All University of Sydney staff and students who have a UniKey can access the WriteSite at http://writesite.elearn.usyd.edu.au/.
The FASS Writing Hub has a wide range of programs at both Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels that focus on writing across the curriculum.  The FASS Writing Hub offers drop-in sessions to assist students with their writing in a one-to-one setting. No appointment is necessary, and this service is free of charge to all FASS students and/or all students enrolled in WRIT units.  To find out more visit http://sydney.edu.au/arts/teaching_learning/writing_hub/index.shtml.
Pastoral and academic support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is provided by the STAR Team in Student Support services, a dedicated team of professional Aboriginal people able to respond to the needs of students across disciplines. The STAR team can assist with tutorial support, mentoring support, cultural and pastoral care along with a range of other services. More information about support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students can be found at http://sydney.edu.au/current_students/student_services/indigenous_support.shtml.
Free online Library tutorials are available at http://sydney.edu.au/library/skills, with one designed especially for students studying in the Humanities and Social Sciences at http://libguides.library.usyd.edu.au/.
Mobile Learn is the Sydney Uni App for iPhone and Android. The full set of features available on the mobile app for the University LMS can be found in detail in this PDF document: Features in the mobile App for the University LMS (PDF). Search for University of Sydney on the iTunes store or the Android Marketplace, install the app, and you can access the LMS by clicking on the ‘Bb Learn’ icon.  Important: due to the limitations of mobile devices you cannot submit assignments using the assignment tool. You should not complete graded tests (quizzes) using your mobile device due to the possibility of internet drop out.

OTHER SUPPORT SERVICES

Disability Services is located on Level 5, Jane Foss Russell Building G20; contact 8627 8422 or email disability.services@sydney.edu.au. For further information, visit their website at http://sydney.edu.au/stuserv/disability/.
Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS) are located on Level 5, Jane Foss Russell Building G20; contact 8627 8433 or email caps.admin@sydney.edu.au.  For further information, visit their website at http://sydney.edu.au/current_students/counselling/.
 
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Student Representatives: http://sydney.edu.au/arts/student_programs/contact_your_rep.shtml
 
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Student Support Programs: http://sydney.edu.au/arts/student_programs/

DETAILED SCHEDULE OF READINGS AND LECTURES

 

Week 1: Introduction to the Unit of Study

Required Reading (before attending tutorial) All students must study this chapter carefully before coming to tutorial this Thursday. The terminology and concepts will form the basic language we use to discuss films throughout the rest of the semester.   Corrigan, Timothy. “Film Terms and Topics”, in A Short Guide to Writing about Film. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2007 (6th ed.), pp. 34-77.  (Fisher electronic item; available online)   Recommended readings: Sheldon H. Lu and Emilie Yueh-yu Yeh, “Introduction: Mapping the Field of Chinese-Language Cinema”, in Sheldon H. Lu and Emilie Yueh-yu Yeh, eds. Chinese-Language Film: Historiography, Poetics, Politics. Honolulu:  University of Haiwaii Press, 2005, 1-24. (on 2 hour reserve)   David Bordwell, “Poetics and Politics: Toward a Poetics of Chinese Film” in Lu and Yeh, eds. Chinese-Language Film, 141-162. (on 2 hour reserve)

Week 2: Classic Taiwanese cinema of the 80s and 90s

Required Film:  A One and a Two (Yi yi 一一), dir. Edward Yang 杨德昌, 1999   Recommended Films: Vive L’amour (爱情万岁), dir. Cai Mingliang蔡明亮, 1994 A City of Sadness (悲情城市), dir. Hou Hsiao-hsien 侯孝贤, 1989   Required reading: Li, David Leiwei, “Yi Yi : reflections on reflexive modernity in Taiwan.” In Chinese films in focus II, Chapter 34, pp. 265-272. (fisher electronic item)   Recommended readings: Yeh, Emily Yueh-Yu, ‘Poetics and Politics of Hou Hsiao-hsien’s films’ in Lu and Yeh, eds. Chinese-Language Film, 163-185. (on 2 hour reserve)   Wu, Meiling, ‘Postsadness Taiwan New Cinema: Eat, Drink, Everyman, Everywoman’ in Lu and Yeh, eds. Chinese-Language Film, 76-95. (on 2 hour reserve)

Week 3: Taiwanese Romcom and Ang Lee’s migration to Hollywood

Required Film: Wedding Banquet (喜宴), dir. Ang Lee 李安, 1993   Recommended Films: Eat Drink Man Woman (饮食男女), dir. Ang Lee李安, 1994 Lust, Caution （色戒), dir. Ang Lee李安, 2006 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (臥虎藏龙), dir. Ang Lee 李安, 2001   Required readings: Darious, Wei ming and Eileen Fung, ‘Breaking the Soy Sauce Jar: Diaspora and Displacement in Films of Ang Lee’ in Sheldon H. Lu, ed. Transnational Chinese Cinemas: Identity, Nationhood, Gender. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1997, 187-220. [Fisher Library on-line]   Recommended Readings: Berry, Chris, ‘Wedding Banquet: A Family (Melodrama) Affaire’, in Christ Berry, ed. Chinese Films in Focus II, 235-242. (on 2 hour reserve)   Chan, Felicia, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Cultural Migrancy and Translatability” in Chris Berry, ed. Chinese Films in Focus II, 73-81. . (on 2 hour reserve)   Sheldon H. Lu, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Bouncing Angels: Hollywood, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Transnational Cinema’ in Lu and Yeh, eds. Chinese-Language Film, 220-233. (Fisher electronic item)

Week 4: The best Hong Kong dramatic/alternative films before the industry collapsed in the late 1990s. Case Study: Wong Kar-wai 王家卫

Required Film: Chungking Express (重庆森林), dir. Wong Kar-wai王家卫, 1994   Recommended Film: In the Mood for Love (花样年华), dir. Wong Kar-wai 王家卫, 2000   Required reading:  Tsung-yi Huang, “Hong Kong Blue: Flâneurie with the Camera's Eye in a Phantasmagoric Global City”, Journal of Narrative Theory. Vol. 30, No. 3, Cinema & Narrative (Fall, 2000) (pp. 385-402). (available online via Fisher website)   Recommended readings: Yue, Audrey, “In the Mood for Love: Intersections of Hong Kong Modernity”, in Chris Berry, ed. Chinese Films in Focus II, 144-152.  (on 2 hour reserve) Luk, Thomas Y. T. “Novels into Film: Liu Yichang’s Tête-Bêche and Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love” in Lu and Yeh, eds. Chinese-Language Film, 210-219. (on 2 hour reserve)

Week 5: Hong Kong action films Case Study: John Woo

Required Film: The Killer（喋血双雄）, dir. John Woo吳宇森, 1989    Recommended Films: A Better Tomorrow （英雄本色）, dir. John Woo, 1986 Way of the Dragon（猛龙过江）, dir. Bruce Lee李小龙, 1972 Police Story （警察故事）, dir. Jackie Chan成龙, 1985   Required reading: Jillian Sandell, “Reinventing Masculinity: The Spectacle of Male Intimacy in the Films of John Woo.” Film Quarterly. Vol. 49, No. 4 (Summer, 1996) (pp. 23-34)   Recommended readings: Desser, David, ‘Fists of Legend: Constructing Chinese Identity in the Hong Kong Cinema’, in Lu and Yeh, eds. Chinese-Language Film, 280-297. (on 2 hour reserve)   Zhang, Zhen, ‘Bodies in the Air: the Magic of Science and the Fate of the Early “Martial Arts” Film in China’ in Lu and Yeh, eds. Chinese-Language Film, 52-75. (on 2 hour reserve)

Week 6: Socialist Cinema in China (1949 – 1976) Case study: Xie Jin

Required Film: The Red Detachment of Women（红色娘子军），dir. Xie Jin, 1966   Recommended Film: The White-Haired Girl, （白毛女），co-dir. Wang Bin and Shui Hua, 1951 Women No.5 Basketball Player（女篮五号），dir. Xie Jin, 1957 The Golden Boulevard（金光大道），co-dir. Lin Nong and Sun Yu, 1975   Required readings: Zhang, Yingjin. 2004. Cinema and the nation-state in China, 1949 – 78. in Chinese National Cinema. Routledge   Chi, Robert. “The Red detachment of Women: Resenting, Regendering, Remembering.” in Chinese Films in Focus II. London, BFI. (189-196)   Recommended Reading: Berry, Michael. 2005. “Xie Jin: Six Decades of Cinematic Innovation.” in Speaking in Images: Interviews with Contemporary Chinese Filmmakers. (20-49)

Week 7: The Fifth Generation Mainland Chinese Filmmakers Case Study: Chen Kaige

Required Films: Farewell My Concubine（霸王别姬），dir. Chen Kaige, 1993   Recommended Films: King of the Children（孩子王），dir. Chen Kaige, 1987 Sacrifice, dir. Chen Kaige, 2010   Required readings: McDougall, Bonnie. “Cross-Dressing and the Disappearing Woman in Modern Chinese Fiction, Drama and Film: Reflections on Chen Kaige’s Farewell My Concubine.” China Information, Vol VIII, No 4, spring 1994, pp. 42-51. (avail via Fisher website)   Recommended Reading: Chow, Rey. Male Narcissism and National Culture: Subjectivity in Chen Kaige’s King of the Children, in Chow, Primitive passions: visuality, sexuality, ethnography, and contemporary Chinese cinema. New York: Columbia University Press, 1995, pp. 87 – 118.

Week 8: The Fifth Generation, Then and Now Case Study: Zhang Yimou

Required Films: The Story of Qiu Ju （秋菊打官司），dir. Zhang Yimou, 1992   Recommended Films: Raise the Red Lantern (大红灯笼高高挂), dir. Zhang Yimou, 1992 Hero （英雄），dir. Zhang Yimou, 2002   Required readings: Kong, Haili and Xudong Zhang. 2006. Cinema of Postsocialism: Zhang Yimou’s Film Production in the Late 1990s, in Haili Kong and John A. Lent, eds., One hundred years of Chinese cinema : a generational dialogue.  Norwalk: EastBridge, 2006. Chapters 6-7.   Recommended Readings: Yingjie Guo. “National Unification Overrides all: The Heroism of Hero.” Conference paper, 2007. (electronic source available via Fisher)   Zhu, Y. and Robinson, B. “The Cinematic Transition of the Fifth Generation Auteurs.” Zhu, Y. and Rosen, S. eds., Art, Politics, and Commerce in Chinese Cinema. Hong Kong University Press. Hong Kong, 2010.

Week 9: Sixth Generation filmmakers Case study: Jiang Wen: Devils at the Doorstep and Let the Bullets Fly

Required Film: Devils on the Doorstep (鬼子来了), dir. Jiang Wen，2000   Recommended Film: Let the Bullets Fly（让子弹飞），dir. Jiang Wen， 2010 Gone with the Bullets（一步之遥），dir. Jiang Wen，2014   Required readings: Xu, Gary. “Violence, Sixth Generation Filmmaking, and Devils on the Doorstep”, in Xu, Sinascape: Contemporary Chinese Cinema. Lanham: Rowland and Littlefield, 2007, pp. 47-66.   Veg, Sebastien. “Propaganda and pastiche: Visions of Mao in 'Founding of a Republic', 'Beginning of the Great Revival', and 'Let the Bullets Fly',” China Perspectives.  Issue 2 (2012), pp. 41-53.

Week 10:  No lecture, but tutorial will still be held as usual

Required Readings

Week 11: Women on screen throughout Chinese history Case study: Street Angels (1937) Haixia (1977) and What Women Want (2011)

Required Film: Street Angels（马路天使） , dir. Yuan Muzhi 1937   Recommended Films: Haixia （海霞）， dir. Xie Tieli谢铁骊1973 What Women Want （我知女人心）, dir. Chen Daming 2011   Required Reading: Cui, Shuqin. “Subjected body and gendered identity”, in Cui, Women through the lens : gender and nation in a century of Chinese cinema, Honolulu: University of Hawaii, 2003, Chapter 7, pp. 150-168.

Week 12: New Directions:  Jia Zhangke

Required Film: Still Life (三峡好人 )， dir. Jia Zhangke贾樟柯, 2006.   Recommended Films: 24 City（二十四城）, dir. Jia Zhangke, 2008 The World (世界)， dir. Jia Zhangke 贾樟柯, 2004.   Required readings: Shi, Xiaoling, “Between Illusion and Reality: Jia Zhangke's Vision of Present-day China in The World in Asian Cinema Volume 18, Number 2, Fall/Winter 2007: 220-31. [Fisher Library on-line]   Recommended reading: Lin, Xiaoping. ‘Jia Zhangke's Cinematic Trilogy: A Journey across the Ruins of Post-Mao China’ in Lu and Yeh, eds., Chinese-Language Film, 186-209. (on 2 hour reserve)

代写 CHNS3639 Chinese Cinema