Encountering Chinese Culture: Performing Tradition, Engendering Transformations

This course explores Chinese cultural narratives in relation to how they have been performed on stage in traditional forms of theatre, on screen, and as lived in the practice of everyday life. Students will be introduced to canonical works of theatre and film in modern and contemporary performance culture in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. The course will present a critical re-evaluation of what Chinese and Chinese culture mean by looking at the experiences of and various works by diasporic Chinese, Western representations of Chinese culture, and films and performances that transcend national boundaries. Students will also examine the development of modern Chinese culture and its dynamic relationship with tradition and innovation. The course includes a hands-on component that introduces students to the performance practice of jingju (Beijing/Peking "opera"), and encourages students to pursue creative assignments that synthesize their developing knowledge of historical and contemporary Chinese culture. These assignments include theatrical performance, interviews, and filmmaking. One goal of the course is to build bridges of understanding between the United States and the Republic of China in Taiwan; hence, the course will culminate in a spring break trip to Taiwan. This course is only open to first-year, non-transfer students in the Ampersand: Encountering China program.
Course Attributes: BU Hum; BU IS; AS HUM; AS LCD; AMP; FA HUM; AR HUM; EN H

Encountering Chinese Culture: Performing Tradition, Engendering Transformations

DANCE 1080

Section 01