This course aims to introduce the complex issues and theories in understanding and explaining East Asia media cultures. It combines both historical and theoretical approach to illustrate the rise of East Asia media cultures. Specifically, it analyzes the production of various key media genres in Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, China and other East Asia countries; examines the textual characteristics of these media genres; and interrogates the complicated flows, reception and influences of East Asia media cultures across the world. It explores various enduring issues such as soft power, colonial hybridity, power dynamics of regional flows, cross-cultural reception, co-production of Asianess and Chineseness, and ‘Asia as method’. Through the above multi-dimensional and cross-cultural analysis, the course aims to address if and how power struggles within and among various East Asia countries have facilitated more symmetrical transnational cultural-flows and served public interests at local, domestic level.
