FWS: Chinese Modernism: From Shanghai to Hong Kong

3.0 credits · Undergraduate

How can a painting serve as a map of political displacement and cultural survival? This seminar investigates the transformation of Chinese modernism as its center of gravity shifted from the cosmopolitan 1930s Shanghai—to the postwar Hong Kong. By examining film, woodcut prints, and ink painting, students will explore how artists negotiated national identity during times of radical change. As a first-year writing seminar, the course emphasizes visual literacy, teaching students to translate complex visual evidence into persuasive academic prose. Through a scaffolded sequence of assignments, including formal analyses and responses to archival documents, students will engage in a rigorous process of drafting and peer review. This course invites students from all majors to develop their critical voice by analyzing how art responds to historical upheaval.