China in Ten Soundtracks: The Sonic World of Modern Chinese Culture

Catalog description

This course surveys the sonorous world of modern Chinese culture from late Qing to the contemporary period. With a focus on sound, we will investigate diverse cultural forms ranging from public speech, sound cinema, popular music, and digital media, and explore how these artworks, by engaging with sound discursively and expressively, mediate questions of gender, identity, and technology in modern China. Following a chronological order, each week we will examine one prominent expression or theme of sound in a given decade and situate these sonic texts within local, national, and global histories. In so doing, we will learn to appreciate the vibrant creative impulses of modern Chinese cultural history and understand major cultural trends, artists, and socio-technological developments. Prerequisite: GPS or sophomore standing (or not open to first semester students). Fulfillment: CORE SSPC or IPC; GCS Elective Chinese Media, Arts, and Literature.