Register for our Fall 2020 NEW online course Chinese Popular Culture (CLTR 1506, CRN 18876), which serves as an elective for the Asian Studies Major, East Asian Studies Minor, and Chinese Minor.
Taught by Professor Benny Shaffer, a multimedia artist and a Harvard PhD Candidate in Media Anthropology, this introductory course provides an overview of modern and contemporary China with a focus on media cultures from the early 20th century to the present. Students examine sources from popular and underground cinema, modern and contemporary art, music and live performance, as well as the Internet and social media platforms.
The course takes an interdisciplinary approach to address the social, historical, and cultural contexts of media production. With a diverse selection of visual materials, students discuss important themes such as state-level politics and government policies, propaganda and censorship, rural-urban migration, economic development, environmental issues, fashion and entertainment industries, consumer markets, gender, ethnicity, as well as viral media and Internet cultures.
Students are encouraged to experiment with a range of research methods, including both written analyses and creative multimedia projects. Through a combination of online seminar discussion, synchronous office hours in small groups, and individual projects, the course promotes active participation and peer interaction while allowing maximum flexibility to the students.
Sign up today! Contact our Administrative Officer Mika at csgs@northeastern.edu with any questions.
