GEND2031 Cinema in Southeast Asia: Genre and Cultural Identities
Later Year Course
| Offered By | School of Cultural Inquiry |
|---|---|
| Academic Career | Undergraduate |
| Course Subject | Gender Studies |
| Offered in | GEND2031 will not be offered in 2012 |
| Unit Value | 6 units |
| Course Description | This course introduces students to the diverse contemporary culture and society of SEAsia as well as to cinema practices in the region. Since there is too much to cover in one semester, this survey course will focus broadly on three categories: national film histories, genres and social themes. This semester we will focus on cinema from Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. A brief summary of cinema in these three countries will provide students with a sense of the duration of cinema and cinematic traditions in the region. The sheer origin of cinema has always signified modernity for Southeast Asians. With nearly a century of exposure to film in the region, how has this form become unique to each country through self-representation and documentation of a society in socio-cultural transition and economic and political development? Assuming that film not only fulfills the function of reflecting social concerns (through mass entertainment as well as more political concerns), what are the forms of creative and artistic expression that are possible to achieve with new technologies and familiarity with film genres despite censorship and other socio-economic restrictions? Contemporary independent filmmakers in the region have broached topics such as homosexuality (Tropical Malady), teenage gangs (15) race relations and gender/religious identity (Gubra), topics regarded as taboo in their respective societies. |
| Learning Outcomes | By the end of the course, students should be cognizant of the specific histories of cinema and film production in these countries, and the varied functions of film (as ideological/political, social representation, or as part of the culture industry). They will be able to analyse film form and learn about some film genre conventions and film theories and have a nuanced approach to thinking about films from Southeast Asia as simultaneously a global and local art form and expression. |
| Indicative Assessment | Students will be assessed thus: 3 writing assignments: Film review (500 words, 15%) Mid-term paper (1500 words, 35%) Final paper (1500 words, 40%) Participation and attendance during tutorial and lecture/discussions (10%) |
| Workload | 1.5 hour weekly lectures for 13 weeks, 12 1-hour tutorials, 2 hour film screenings weekly. |
| Areas of Interest | Gender Studies |
| Requisite Statement |
Either GEND1001 or GEND1002; or FILM1002 or FILM1003; or permission from the Coordinator. |
| Preliminary Reading |
Aruna Vasudev, Latika Padgaonkar and Rashmi Doraiswamy, eds. Being and Becoming, The Cinemas of Asia. India: Macmillan, 2002. David Hanan, ed. Film in South East Asia: Views from the Region. SEAPAVAA in association with the Vietnam Film Institute and the National Screen and Sound Archive of Australia, 2001. Robert Stam, Film Theory: an Introduction. Malden, Mass: Blackwell, 1999. |
| Indicative Reading List | Useful websites Elevating Discourse on Southeast Asian Cinema, criticine.com Senses of Cinema, Firecracker magazine, kakiseni.com (Malaysian arts and culture website featuring film reviews, etc.) Thai Film Foundation, http://www.thaifilm.com/article_en.asp Asian Film Archive, http://www.asianfilmarchive.org/ The Singapore films showcase, resource and independent cinema, http://www.sinema.sg/ Wise Kwai�??s Thai Films, http://www.geocities.com/curtis_winston/thaifilm-page1.html Indie Malaysia, http://www.ifilmindie.com/ |
| Majors/Specialisations | Asian Art History, Film and New Media, Gender, Sexuality and Culture, and Southeast Asian Studies |
| Academic Contact | Dr Gaik Cheng Khoo |
The information published on the Study at ANU 2012 website applies to the 2012 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2011 website.
