Syllabus: The course serves two purposes.  First, it serves as a Chinese language course between the advanced group stage and the independent research stage, focusing on improving the students' reading and listening comprehension proficiency.  Second, it allows a comparative and theoretically informed investigation of popular culture in contemporary China from the perspective of cultural studies.

The course provides an overview of popular cultures in contemporary China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other transnational Chinese communities.  We will discuss several important themes in Chinese popular culture in the recent decades, including the rise of consumerism, the impact of globalization, the outburst of nationalist sentiment, and the dynamics between cultural production, media technology, and political discourses, etc.

Proposed Assessment: (1) two essays: one short essay (30%) and one final take-home essay exam (40%); (2) one in-class oral presentation (20%), and (3) classroom participation and preparation of in-class readings (10%).

Delivery Mode:

On Campus