HIST 105 - Scenes from Chinese History

FDR: HU
Credits: 4
Planned Offering: Spring 2011 and alternate years

As one of the 20th century’s most influential forms of mass communication, film is more than mere entertainment entirely divorced from the social, political, economic and, ultimately, historical context in which it was produced. This is particularly true of modem nation-states “invented” during the 20th century like the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The PRC has employed film to shape national consciousness relating to both contemporary and historical issues to link present and past by providing a standardized interpretation of Chinese history for the inculcation of the mass audience of its citizens. The course is intended to explore how contemporary PRC cinema has interpreted major events in Chinese history, such as the establishment of the dynastic system. the Opium War, and the War of Resistance Against Japan (a.k.a. World War II). Bello.