CONN 305 | Heroes and Rebels: Martial Arts Culture in China and Beyond

Martial arts culture, an invented tradition still in the making, is a site where the cultural, political, and social intersect. At once national, diasporic, and transnational, it challenges and redefines established boundaries and collapses dualisms such as East vs. West and traditional vs. modern. It is therefore a promising entry point into discussions of cultural exchanges in the global context. From a transhistorical and cross-media perspective, this course engages multiple disciplinary approaches -- including literary studies, film and media studies, history, religion, gender studies, and cultural studies -- to examine the representations of martial arts culture in Chinese literature as well as in films from China and other East Asian countries. Through a close examination of 1) historical records and traditional short stories, 2) twentieth-century martial arts novels, and 3) martial arts and Kung Fu cinema, students will gain a historically informed understanding of the martial arts tradition and its cultural and political significance at different historical moments and in various locations. Students will also read selected scholarly works to enter the academic conversation on this topic.