Chinese 280: East Asian Cultures Through Film

Instructor: Emily Wilcox

Final Project:

Cross-Cultural Understanding Through Film

Overview:

This is the culminating project for the class. Students will work 1-on-1 in a cross-cultural exchange with a Chinese student studying at Beijing Normal University, using film as a medium for discussion and reflection. Based on their own interests, each pair of students will select one American film and one Chinese film with related themes to watch and discuss. Using Skype or another video chat program, students will engage in three 1-hour conversations, one to select the films, one to discuss the films, and one a follow-up discussion for planning and executing the final project. Finally, each pair of students will create a multimedia bilingual online project based on their films and discussions.

Objectives:

  • The goal of this project is to use film and new media as platforms for cross-cultural communication and exchange.
  • Students will build on knowledge and conceptual approaches learned in this course to participate in a multi-media project created in collaboration with a Chinese partner in China.
  • Through this project, students will reflect more deeply on processes of cross-cultural communication and understanding, as well on the role played by film and digital media as mediators for these processes.

Timeline:

This project has several stages, as outlined below, with an assignment due at each stage:

Stage 1: Meet your partner and select your films (March 21-April 2)

Once you are matched up with your Chinese partner, you and the partner will set up a date and time and engage in a one-hour conversation using Skype or some similar online videophone service. If you do not already have an account with Skype or another service, you will need to set one up. Skype offers a free service, as do many other companies. Topics for your initial conversation should include the following:

  • Getting to know each other
  • Favorite films growing up (can be from any country)
  • Recent films watched (can be from any country)
  • Topics you think it would be interesting to explore through film
  • Select two films you would like to watch and discuss. One film should be from the US and one from China, and they should have a common theme.
  • Make sure you both have access to the films you plan to watch (with subtitles if relevant) and that you can watch both before the next conversation
  • Set up a date and time for your next conversation

Tuesday, April 2nd: Conversation 1 notes due on Blackboard before class.

Conversation notes should be 2-3 pages, in any format you find most useful (bullet points, incomplete sentences, etc., are all fine). These should be the actual notes taken during your conversation with your partner, along with anything you remember afterward that you didn’t have a chance to write down. If you visit Internet links as part of your conversation (you send each other to different film links, for example), you may include these in your notes. Your notes should cover all of the topics listed above in some way, and they should reflect the content of your conversation. In addition, you should include one screenshot showing images of both you and your partner’s faces while videophoning. The conversation notes will be uploaded using the assignment feature on Blackboard. You can copy and paste the text directly into the assignment box and then upload the screenshot as an attachment.

Stage 2: Watch your films and discuss them with your partner (April 2-9)

Both you and your partner should watch the two films you have selected. If it is feasible, you may choose to watch your films “together” with your partner virtually. This is completely optional and will not impact your grade in any way. Once you have both watched the films, you should have a one-hour conversation with your partner about the films. There are no required topics for this conversation. You may choose to focus on the films themselves, the theme that unites the two films, or other topics that come to mind as you discuss the films.

Tuesday, April 9th: Conversation 2 notes due on Blackboard before class.

Same requirements as for Conversation 1 notes, except there is no required content, apart from discussing both films, your reactions to them, and any other topics that come to mind.

Stage 3: Design Your Wordpress Blog (April 9-16)

During one final videophone conversation, you will work with your partner to come up with a design for your Wordpress blog. Topics to discuss in this conversation include:

  • What have we learned so far from our conversations and films?
  • Did we think more about or do any additional exploration on topics discussed in the previous conversations?
  • What would we most like to share with our viewers regarding these two films and our conversations about them?
  • Who are our main viewers and what language would be appropriate to us?
  • How will we design our blog, what content will it include, and how will we execute that content together?
  • What is our plan for completing the project?

On Tuesday, April 16th, we will have our second Media Workshop: Troubleshooting on Wordpress with Mike Blum. Class time will be devoted to working on your blog posts. We will also spend some time discussing the experience of working with a partner in another country.

Tuesday, April 16th: Blog Plan and Conversation 3 Reflection due on Blackboard before class.

In one double-spaced response, please describe the plan for your blog and how you arrived at it. Include one anecdote from your planning process.

Stage 4: Execute your Wordpress Blog and Present it in Class

Working together with your partner in China, create and publish a blog posting that emerges from your cross-cultural engagement with two films, and present your blog in class. The format and style of your presentation and blog are open, and each partnership will have a total of 5 minutes to present their blog in class. You will be graded using the criteria listed below.

Your final Wordpress project is due published online before class on the day you present.

Thursday, April 18th and Tuesday, April 23: Final Project Presentations.

Grading Breakdown:

Conversation 1 notes 15 points

Conversation 2 notes 15 points

Blog Plan and Conversation 3 Reflection15 points

Presentation20 points

Blog Post25 points

Participation10 points

Grading Criteria:

On all assignments, points will be deducted for lateness or incompleteness. Other evaluation criteria are as follows.

Conversation 1 and 2 notes:

  • Includes detailed notes that reflect the content of the conversations
  • Content of conversation shows attempt to engage beyond superficial level

Blog Plan and Conversation 3 Reflection

  • Clearly and concisely describes the plan for the blog
  • Explains the justification for this design, including goals
  • Discusses at least one anecdote from Conversation 3 that reveals the nature of your communication and collaboration during the planning process

Presentation and Blog Post

  • Well-prepared, professional, and well-executed
  • Creative
  • Conveys something learned in the process of this assignment
  • Incorporates the two films in some way
  • Deals substantively with the themes of film and cross-cultural understanding
  • Effectively uses digital media
  • Shows collaboration with Chinese partner

Final Note: The goal of this assignment is to do something interesting with the blog space that is inspired by, reflects upon, and encourages cross-cultural understanding through film and new media. Your final presentation and blog should be an organic product of your interactions with your partner in China and you should think openly about what form this could take. The possibilities are yours to discover and to invent!