SSEASN - Sophomore Seminar - Contemporary Southeast Asian Society and Culture Through Film

What kind of films do you like?  How do you think can we study a country through its films? In this seminar,  we will examine contemporary Southeast Asian society and culture through the lens of contemporary Southeast Asian films, from Vietnam and the Philippines.  In discussions about the films in class we will seek to understand how these films mirror modern and traditional aspects of the societies in which they were produced.  We will also consider the films as examples of current world cinema and vehicles of storytelling.  In their three to four page papers for each section of the course, students will address the above broad issues (referencing class discussions when appropriate) in relation to their own experiences and opinions, focusing either on one film or comparing two or three from the same country.