LAS258 East Asian Cinema

Spring 2025/26

20 credits

Module Organiser: Professor Jennifer Coates (jennifer.coates@sheffield.ac.uk)

Overview

We will examine key film directors, cinematic movements and industry developments from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Mainland China over the past thirty years. This module will introduce you to approaches to studying film texts, cultures, and industries. This module is designed to encourage critical examination of both the text (the films themselves) and the context (the national environment, film festival circuit, film finance) that surrounds any film work.

Topics Covered Include

Skills Development

• Academic Writing will be developed via the end-of-term essay and certain portfolio activities. 

• Communication Skills will be developed both verbally (in class) and in written and visual format via the portfolio assessment.

• Critical Ability will be developed through the discussion of assigned readings in seminars, analysing issues in written form for the assignments, class discussions and evaluations of the film texts. 

• Cultural Agility will be developed via the weekly viewings and readings of films from around East Asia. 

• Independent Learning will be developed through the set schedule of weekly tasks which students need to complete prior to class and in your portfolio assessment. 

• Knowledge will be developed via the workshops, assessment, readings and viewings on this module. 

• Practical Skills will be developed via the workshops and the portfolio assessment. 

• Presentation skills will be developed via in-class tasks and portfolio assessment.

• Teamwork will be developed via in-tasks.

Study Hours

• Independent 176 hours

• Seminar 24 hours

• Other 36 hours

Assessment

• Portfolio 100%

If you want to get ahead, you could watch...

• Parasite (2019) Directed by Bong Joon-ho.