Subject Area: Chinese Studies
This course is open to all students either as a core course of the Chinese major or as an elective or general education course for any program/major. Musicianship and Chinese language proficiency are not required. The course aims at broadening and deepening students’ understanding of China’s multiethnic societies and cultures through an introduction to musical cultures of the majority Han people and various minority ethnic groups in that country. Following a combination of approaches in anthropology, ethnomusicology and cultural studies and through vivid case studies of China’s musical cultures, students are guided in examining the Chinese situation with regard to politics, economy, gender, identity, ethnicity, nationalism, globalisation and glocalisation. Study materials include relevant academic writings and multimedia sources such as videos, DVDs and films.