Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei: East Asian Metropolises in Literature and Film

4.0 credits

What makes a metropolis so fascinating, disorienting, or dreadful? Is it the history, the people, or the never-ending parade of sights and sounds? In this course, we journey through four major urban centers in East Asia—Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, and Taipei—by examining their kaleidoscopic reflections in literature and film. We will come across city narratives composed from a medley of perspectives. While appreciating the stories, we will learn about the complicated histories of each metropolis and acquire skills to critically analyze how a physical place can be transformed into metaphors for modernity, turmoil, sentimentality, (dis)connection, and so on. Taught in English.