Media, Environment, and the (Post-)Human in Contemporary China

Catalog description

This advanced undergraduate seminar explores relationships between media, environment, and evolving conceptions of the human in contemporary China. Through an interdisciplinary approach, we examine how various media forms have engaged with China's ecological challenges while redefining notions of humanity in the face of historical, technological and environmental changes. We investigate environmental and media landscapes from socialist China to the post-pandemic era, covering topics such as human-environment relationships during the Mao era, post-socialist (post-)humanism, Chinese ecocinema, apocalyptic imagination in recent sci-fi blockbusters, pandemic narratives, and social media. The course also explores emerging media technologies, including virtual reality, and their implications for human-media interactions. Students will engage with theoretical frameworks from media studies, environmental humanities, posthumanist theory, and Chinese cultural studies. Analysis will cover diverse primary sources including films, literature, and digital media.