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Course Description
This is a historical survey of Asian American involvement in media production,
beginning in the silent film era and concluding with the current digital age. In this course, we will focus on the shifting yet continuous
participation of Asians in the production of media in North America, from
the careers of silent films stars Anna May Wong and Sessue Hayakawa to the
birth of the Asian American Movement in the 1960s and '70s - which also
triggered the birth of Asian American independent films - to the lure of
(relatively) big-budget narrative films in the '80s, punk-inspired rebellion
and video art in the '90s, and finally landing right into the contemporary media landscape. Throughout the course, we will look at how changing political,
social, and cultural discourses have affected Asian American participation
in media production, as well as how these forces have shaped media representations
of Asians. Form, content, funding, and circumstances of production will
also enter our discussions of how these films, videos, and new media works
came to be.
Course Organization
The course format consists of lecture, screening, and discussion. We study
at least one film, video, or new media work per class. Films are screened both in and outside of class—during designated class screenings, or students can watch the films on their own at PItzer A/V Services in McConnell Hall, and will be announced in class. Myself or student
presenters introduce the work with a short lecture, and an interactive,
integrative discussion follows. Participation in the class
discussion will contribute to your final grade. You are expected to draw
from reading assignments as well as first-hand observations in the discussions. The number of guest speakers
(film and video makers, media artists, programmers, etc.) depends on funding
and availability. Speakers are invited to class, or to the Media Studies
cinematheque screenings—be prepared to attend out-of-class screenings.
Please turn off all
cell phones and pagers during class. These and other diversions are not
acceptable during class time, and will lower your grade.
| Course Requirements
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| 1. |
Attend all classes |
| 2. |
Participation in class discussions |
| 3. |
Completion of reading assignments, 1 class presentation, 3 written responses, and 3 papers |
Attendance
Attendance and participation of all classes is required. Do not miss class
or arrive late! If you
miss class 3 times without a proper excuse, (e.g. a doctor's note if you
are sick) you fail the class.
Absences must be cleared by me before or after (in case of emergencies only)
the class you missed in order for it to not affect your final grade. Attendance
is determined by when I take roll.
Class Participation
Your active, well-prepared participation in class discussions is essential
to creating a dynamic (i.e. not boring!) learning environment. Although
you will not receive a letter grade for class participation, it will figure
into your final grade based on my observations.
We may study sexually explicit, political, and otherwise challenging
material in this course. These are not included for shock value, but are
legitimate investigations of controversial subject matters in media. You
are certainly encouraged to explore difficult and complex subject matters
in your work, and should be prepared to consider these issues intellectually
and emotionally. Our class is a safe space in which students can express
their beliefs and opinions. You always have a voice, but please be respectful
of others as well. Abusive language and behavior are not be tolerated.
Open-mindedness is encouraged!
Class
Assignments
You are responsible for weekly reading assignments, contribution to class
discussions, 1 class presentation, 3 written responses (1-2 pages), 2 short papers (3-5 pages) and a final paper (8-10 pages)
or media project. All written assignments should be typed and double-spaced.
Class Presentation
Students are required to participate in 1 class presentation. There are 10 classes in which the students, working in groups of 2-3, will view the film before class, discuss and write a 1-2 page introduction to the film and formulate questions and format for discussion. Each group will begin the presentation by reading the paper, followed by the film screening (In the case when the film is screened outside of class, each group will select up to 15 mins. of clips from the film as a part of the presentation. Arrangements for clips must be made with instructor before class)
Written Responses
Students are required to hand in 3 written responses. Each response will discuss a film in relation to a specific essay or chapter in the assigned reading, and/or pose relevant questions raised by the film and the reading. Responses are due in the class where the film in question is discussed (when the film is screened before class) or one week after (when the film is screened in-class), and can be used as a part of your contribution to the class discussion as well as the start of your paper assignments.
Short Papers
Two short papers are due on Week 5, and Week 9 in class. They
should be 3-5 pages, typed and double-spaced. These papers are assessments
of the films seen in class, and should consider these films in relation
to each other. They can include comparative analyses of as well as personal
responses to the films, reference to the class reading, and thoughts on
class discussions. Additional research (outside of class material) is encouraged.
Final Paper - due on the last day of class. There
are several options for this project, to be determined by the student with
the instructor's approval:
| • |
An 8-10 page research paper,
typed and double-spaced, based on an in-depth analysis of one or more
films seen in class. |
| • |
An 8-10 page research paper, typed and
double-spaced, comparing films seen in and outside of class. |
| • |
A media (film, video, or web) project
that engages extensively with the material covered in class. |
Final papers must include footnotes, a bibliography and filmography.
Additional research is required. Students
must submit an abstract by Week 7 for approval of paper topic,
and may continue to meet with instructor to discuss ideas and progress
on the paper. No late papers are accepted.
You may re-write one of your short papers as your final paper. It must be expanded significantly from the first version, and must fulfill the requirements of the final paper (e.g. additional research). A separate grade will be given for the final paper.
I will hand out more specific guidelines later for these assignments. Unless an extension
is approved by myself in advance of the due date, your grade will be reduced
by one letter grade (i.e. B to C) per class day your paper is late. You are encouraged to meet with me individually during my office hours
to discuss your assignments, your grades, and your overall performance
in class. I am always open to suggestions and feedback!
Reading
Assignments
Required readings are drawn from the required textbooks (see below) and
articles I post on the class web site. You should be able to draw from
them during class discussions and are required to reference them in all written assignments.
Required Textbooks:
Peter X. Feng, ed., Screening Asian Americans, Rutgers University
Press, 2002.
Darrell Hamamoto & Sandra Liu, eds., Countervisions: Asian American
Film Criticism, Temple University Press, 2000.
Russell Leong, ed., Moving The Image: Independent Asian Pacific American
Media Arts, UCLA Asian American Studies Center and Visual Communications,
Los Angeles, 1991.
Recommended Textbooks:
Robert G. Lee, Orientals: Asian Americans in Popular Culture, Temple
University Press, Philadelphia, PA, 1999.
Gina Marchetti, Romance and the "Yellow Peril," University
of California Press, 1993.
Additional References:
Karin Aguilar-San Juan, The State of Asian America, Activism and Resistance in the 1990s, South End Press, 1994.
Bad Object-Choices, eds, How Do I Look: Queer Film and Video, Bay Press, 1991.
Anthony B. Chan, Perpetually Cool: The Many Lives of Anna May Wong (1905-1961), The Scarecrow Press, 2003.
Jachinson Chan, Chinese American Masculinities: From Fu Manchu to Bruce Lee, Routledge, 2001.
Hye Seung Chung, Hollywood Asian: Philip Ahn and the Politics of Cross-Ethnic Performance, Temple Univ. Press, 2006.
Shilpa Dave, Leilani Nishime, Tasha G. Oren, Robert G. Lee, eds., East Main Street: Asian American Popular Culture, NYU Press, 2005.
David L. Eng and Alice Y. Hom, eds., Q&A: Queer in Asian America, Temple Univ. Press, 1998.
Peter X. Feng, Identities in Motion, Duke Univ. Press, 2002.
Russell Ferguson, Martha Gever, Trinh T. Minh-Ha, Cornel West, eds., Out
There: Marginalization and Contemporary Culture, MIT Press/New Museum, 1990.
Roger Garcia, ed., Out of The Shadows: Asians in American Cinema,
Olivares/Locarno Film Festival, 2001.
Martha Gever, John Greyson, Pratibha Parmar, eds., Queer Looks: Perspectives on Lesbian and Gay Film and Video, Routledge, 1993.
Laura Hyun Yi Kang, Compositional Subjects: Enfiguring Asian/American Women, Duke Univ. Press, 2002.
Alex Juhasz and Jesse Lerner, eds., F is For Phony: Fake Documentary and Truth's Undoing, Univ. of Minnesota Press, 2006.
Helen Lee and Kerri Sakamoto, eds., Like Mangoes in July: The Work of Richard Fung, Images Festival, 2002.
Jennifer Lee, ed., Asian American Youth: Culture, Identity and Ethnicity, Routledge, 2004
Russell Leong, ed., Asian American Sexualities, Routledge, 1995. Also available as an issue of the Amerasia Journal: Dimensions of Desire, Vol. 20, NO. 1, 1994.
Steve Louie and Glenn Omatsu, eds., Asian Americans: The Movement and the Moment, UCLA Asian American Studies Center Press, 2001.
Lisa Lowe, Immigrant Acts: On Asian American Cultural Politics, Duke Univ. Press, 1996.
Laura U. Marks, The Skin of the Film, Duke Univ. Press, 2000.
---, Touch: Sensuous Theory and Multisensory Media, Univ. of Minnesota Press, 2002.
Diasuke Miyao, Sessue Hayakawa: Silent Cinema and Transnational Stardom, Duke Univ. Press, 2007.
Jose Munoz, Disidentifications,
Univ. of Minnesota Press, 1999.
Celine Parreñas Shimizu, The Hypersexuality of Race: Performing Asian/American Women on Screen and Scene, Duke Univ. Press, 2007.
Ella Shohat & Robert Stam, Unthinking Eurocentrism, Routledge, 1994.
Susan Sontag, Against Interpretation, Farrar Straus and Giroux, 1966.
Trinh T. Minh-Ha, Framer Framed, Routledge, 1992.
---, Woman, Native, Other , Indiana Univ. Press, 1989
Jun Xing, Asian America Through The Lens, AltaMira Press, 1998.
Jean Yu-Wen Shen Wu, Min Song, eds. Asian American Studies: A Reader, Rutgers Univ. Press, 2000.
Grading
Your final grade will be based on the following |
| • |
Final paper 30% |
| • |
2 short papers (20% each) 40% |
| • |
Class participation*, presentation, written responses 30% |
* This includes your general class participation, including discussion, attendance,
and punctuality (except in the special cases listed above, such as if
you have more than 3 un-excused absences).
Generally, outstanding ('A') students in this class have good attendance
and completed all their assignments on time. They are consistently well
prepared for class, and actively participate in and advance our discussions
with pertinent information, questions, and observations. Their work demonstrate
their awareness of the issues at hand, the historical context for the
film and videos they are discussing, as well as their ability to articulate
their observations and analyses in a clear and concise manner. Only letter
grades are given out in this class.
Academic honesty -
all work done for this course must be the original work of the student
submitting it, and should have been undertaken exclusively for this course.
No work done prior to this class maybe used to fulfill the class assignments. Plagiarism will result in the student receiving an F for the class grade.
Extra credit - Students are
encouraged to attend screenings, conferences, lectures, exhibitions and
web events related to this course. Write a two-page (typed and double-spaced)
report of the event or activity. Incorporate the event's relevance to
the class as well as your personal responses to it. Proof of attendance
is required (keep your ticket stubs, programs, etc.) Students are allowed
two extra credit papers. Announcements for events of interest to this
class are done in the first 5 mins. of each class.
* I try my best to make my grading criteria as clear as possible,
and you are welcome to come and discuss your grades and your class performance
with me. However, I only consider legitimate concerns, and be aware that
your grade is as likely to go down as it is to go up after I reassess
your assignment. I do not tolerate haggling, bribing, threats, and any
other pointless arguments. I consider all aspects of your performance
before I assign a grade, please respect my assessment as I respect your
efforts.
|
| |
Course Schedule:
Week 1: Introduction, The Silent Film
Era
Wednesday 9/5: The Cheat
Film
THE CHEAT (1915) Directed by Cecil B. De Mille, 59 min.
Required Reading
Romance and the "Yellow Peril": Ch.
2 pp. 10-45
Suggested Reading
Orientals: Introduction, Ch. 1-4
Moving the Image: pp. 121-156
Romance and the "Yellow Peril": Ch. 1
Suggested Viewing
BROKEN BLOSSOMS (1919) Directed by D.W. Griffith, 98 min.
Week 2: The Yellow Peril Genre
Wednesday 9/12: The Mask of Fu Manchu, Student Presenters: JanAndres & Devin Smith
Film
THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (1932) Directed by Charles Brabin, 67 min.
Required Reading
Screening Asian Americans: pp.
53-70
Orientals: Ch. 3 and 4, pp. 83-144 (skim Ch. 3), part 1, part 2
Suggested Reading
Countervisions: pp. 23-39
Moving the Image: pp. 156-170
Screening Asian Americans: pp. 21-52
Suggested Viewing (all films starring Anna May Wong)
DAUGHTER OF THE DRAGON (1934) Directed by Lloyd Corrigan
CHU CHIN CHOW (1934) Directed by Walter Forde
SHANGHAI EXPRESS (1932) Directed by Josef von Sternberg
Week 3: The 1940s: The 'Good'
Chinese Vs. The 'Bad' Japanese, Paper #1 Assignment
Wednesday 9/19: Dragon Seed, Student Presenters: Irene Choe, Mike Goldberg, Andres Martinez
Film
DRAGON SEED (1944) Directed by Jack Conway, 148 mins.
Screening - watch film before class
Required Reading
Moving the Image: pp. 125-132
Suggested Viewing
THE GOOD EARTH (1937) Directed by Sidney Franklin, 138 min.
Week 4: Assimilation, Model Minorities and the Cold War
Wednesday 9/26: Sayonara, Student Presenters: Kayleigh Kaneshiro, Jame Kato, Mary Rose Go
Film
SAYONARA (1957) Directed by Joshua Logan, 147 mins
Screening - watch film before class
Required Reading
Romance and the "Yellow Peril": Ch. 7 pp. 125-157
Orientals: Ch
5 pp. 145-179
Suggested Reading
Countervisions: pp. 40-58
Romance and the "Yellow Peril": Ch. 5, 6, 8, 9
Suggested Viewing
LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING (1955) Directed by Henry King
THE CRIMSON KIMONO (1959) Directed by Sam Fuller
FLOWER DRUM SONG (1961) Directed by Henry Koster
THE WORLD OF SUZIE WONG (1960) Directed by Richard Quine
Week 5: The 1970s—Birth of Asian
American Independent Films, Paper #1 Due
Wednesday 10/3: Early Asian American Documentaries
Film
HOMECOMING GAME (1970) by Danny Kwan, 20 min.
YELLOW BROTHERHOOD (1970) by Brian Maeda, 10 min.
MANZANAR (1970) by Robert Nakamura, 16 min.
Required Reading
Moving the Image: Introduction, pp. 1-9
Screening Asian Americans: pp. 101-110 (same article as above)
Week 6: Notions of Community, Part
I, Paper #2 Assignment
Wednesday 10/10: The Fall of the I Hotel, Student Presenters: Philip Henssen, Joseph Bazouzi, Tom Tsai
Film
THE FALL OF THE I HOTEL (1977-83) by Curtis Choy, 58 min.
Required Reading
Moving the Image: pp. 10-39
Suggested Viewing
CRUISIN' J-TOWN (1976) Directed by Duane Kubo
Week 7: Notions of Community, Part
II
Wednesday 10/17: Chan Is Missing, Student Presenters: Daniel Aisaka, Thomas Belfer
Film
CHAN IS MISSING (1981) by Wayne Wang, 80 min.
Screening of RISING SUN on 10/15 and 10/16 for next week's class
Required Reading
Screening Asian Americans: pp. 185-216
Suggested Reading
Out of the Shadows: pp. 177-182
Moving The Image: pp. 71-73
Suggested Viewing
HITO HATTA: RAISE THE BANNER (1980) Directed by Duane Kubo and Robert A. Nakamura
Week 8: Meanwhile, in Hollywood... Final Paper Abstract Due
Wednesday 10/24: Rising Sun, Student Presenters: Jin Soo Choi, Will Colling
Film
RISING SUN (1993) Directed by Philip Kaufman, 129 mins.
Film will be screened the week before because of Fall Break
Required Reading
Orientals: Ch
6-8 pp. 180-231 (skim Ch. 6 and 8), Ch. 6, Ch. 7-8
Suggested Reading
Romance and The 'Yellow Peril": pp. 202-221
Suggested Viewing
YEAR OF THE DRAGON (1981) by Michael Cimino, 136 min.
Week 9: Asian American Documentaries, Paper #2 Due
Wednesday 10/31: Who Killed Vincent Chin?
Film
WHO KILLED VINCENT CHIN? (US, 1988) Directed by Christine Choy & Renee Tajima, 82 min.
Required Reading
Screening Asian Americans: pp. 159-172
Suggested Reading
Moving the Image: PP. 46-61, 83-92, 109-117, 248-253
Orientals: Ch 2 pp. 51-82
Suggested Viewing
THE COLOR OF HONOR (1988) Directed by Loni Ding
SLAYING THE DRAGON (1988) Directed by Deborah Gee
DAYS OF WAITING (1988) Directed by Steven Okazaki
FORBIDDEN CITY, USA (1989) Directed by Arthur Dong
MY AMERICA (OR HONK IF YOU LOVE BUDDHA) (1997) Directed by Renee Tajima-Peña
Week 10: North American Asian Feature Films
Wednesday 11/7: Mississippi Masala, Student Presenters: Emily Grossman, Lisa Ho
Film
VOICES OF THE MORNING
(US, 1992) Directed by Meena Nanji, 15 mins. (time permitting)
MISSISSIPPI MASALA (US, 1991) Directed by Mira Nair, 118 mins.
Screening
Required Reading
Screening Asian Americans: pp. 217-235
Unthinking Eurocentrism: pp. 178-219
Suggested Reading
Moving the Image: PP. 173-184
Suggested Viewing
DIM SUM: A LITTLE BIT OF HEART (1985) Directed by Wayne Wang
THE WEDDING BANQUET (1993) Directed by Ang Lee
THE JOY LUCK CLUB (1993) Directed by Wayne Wang
MASALA (Canada, 1993) Directed by Srinivas Krishna
Week 11: Punk/Underground Films
Wednesday 11/14: Jon Moritsugu + gregg araki, Student Presenters: Kanika Agarwal, Marissa Kitazawa
Film
MOMMY MOMMY WHERE'S MY BRAIN? (1986)
Directed by Jon Moritsugu, 10 mins.
TOTALLY F***ED UP (1996) Directed by gregg araki, 85 mins.
Required Reading
Interview with Jon Moritsugu in Giant Robot, #1, 1994, pp. 32-47
Moving the Image: pp. 68-70, 227
Asian American Sexualities : pp. 175-180
Queer Looks: pp. 103-107
Out of the Shadows: pp. 141-143
Click here for last three articles
Suggested Reading
Moving the Image: PP. 219-226
Countervisions: pp. 221-244
Suggested Viewing
THE LIVING END (1992) Directed by gregg araki
MYSTERIOUS SKIN (2004) Directed by gregg araki
TERMINAL USA (1993) Directed by Jon Moritsugu
MOD FUCK EXPLOSION (1994) Directed by Jon Moritsugu
FAME WHORE (1997) Directed by Jon Moritsugu
HIPPIE PORN (1991) Directed by Jon Moritsugu & Jacques Boyreau
DESPERATE (1991) Directed by Rico Martinez
GLAMAZON (1993) Directed by Rico Martinez
SOME DIVINE WIND (1992) Directed by Roddy Bogawa
Week 12: Thanksgiving
Wednesday 11/21: Day before Thanksgiving - Class cancelled
Week 13: History and Memory: Asian American Video Art, Draft of Final Paper Due (hand in 2 copies)
Wednesday 11/28: Soo Jin Kim, Tran T. Kim-Trang, Rea Tajiri
Student Presenters: Soo Kyung Bae, Sally Yang
Video
COMFORT ME (1993) Directed by Soo Jin Kim, 5 mins.
EKLEIPSIS (1998) Directed by Tran T. Kim-Trang, 22 mins.
HISTORY AND MEMORY (1991) Directed by Rea Tajiri, 32 min.
Screening
Required Reading
Countervisions: pp. 150-162
Screening Asian Americans: pp. 173-184
Ming-Yuen S. Ma, "The Voice of Blindness: On The Sound Tactics of
Tran T. Kim-Trang's Blindess Series", in More Than Meets the Eye: Critical Essays on Tran T. Kim-Trang's Blindness Series, eds. Tran T. Kim-Trang & Holly Willis, forthcoming.
Suggested Reading
Countervisions: pp. 163-173, 177-202
Moving The Image: pp. 206-207, 230-239
Laura Marks, The Skin of The Film, Ch. 2-3
Suggested Viewing
MEMORIES FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF AMNESIA (1989) and WHO'S GOING TO PAY FOR THESE DONUTS, ANYWAY? (1992) both directed by Janice Tanaka
Week 14: Postcolonial Migrations, Peer Review of Final Paper Due (hand in 2 copies)
Wednesday 12/5: Michael Magnaye & Marlon Fuentes, Student Presenters: Jin Young Chung , Stephen Lee
Film
WHITE CHRISTMAS (1993) Directed by Michael Magnaye, 27
min.
BONTOC EULOGY (1995) Directed by Marlon Fuentes, 60 min.
Required Reading
F is for Phony : pp. 116-129
Screening Asian Americans: pp. 111-132
Suggested Reading
Bhabha, Homi K. "The Other Question: Difference, Discrimination and
the Discourse of Colonialism," in Out There: Marginalization and
Contemporary Culture, pp. 71-87
Gabriel, Teshome H. "Thoughts on Nomadic Aesthetics and Black Independent
Cinema: Traces of A Journey," in Out There: Marginalization and
Contemporary Culture, pp. 395-410
Shohat, Ella, and Stam, Robert. Unthinking Eurocentrism, PP. 13-54
Suggested Viewing
Week 15: Last Class, Final Paper Due
Wednesday 12/12: Surprise Screening!
| • |
Final papers due today! |
| • |
Class evaluation |
| • |
Class party + surprise screening TBA |
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