FORL 123 - Pop Culture of East Asia

4 Credits

1 Units

TikTok, K-Pop, and anime, some of East Asia’s most popular cultural exports, have become the staple of American culture and entertainment today. From the heroine of an ancient ballad to Disney’s Mulan, how does a cultural figure migrate across time and space, medium and genre? From female foot binding to popular boy bands, how do body and politics, culture and capital intersect in shaping contemporary gender identities? More importantly, as a global phenomenon, what is distinctively “global” and unmistakably “Asian” about the pop culture of East Asia? This course aims to provide perspectives on relationships between East Asian popular culture and major socio-political issues and movements, mainly from the early 20th century to the present. It consists of studies of literature, cinema, theatre, manga (comics), anime (animation), music, television, advertisements, and magazines in China, Japan, and Korea. It also offers students the theoretical basis of popular culture studies by introducing the concepts of culture, the culture industry, intercultural communication and representation, etc. Through this course, students will acquire knowledge of the most important issues regarding contemporary East Asian cultures and societies, as well as necessary skills to approach these issues analytically and critically. (M5) (PTK - Global Connections)(Intercultural and Linguistic Competencies)

MILE Requirement:

GLO

LinC Requirement: M5

Credit Type Code: Letter Grade
TAGS Cultural and Linguistic Competencies