JDTS |Transcultural Cinema Forum 2025

Course Type: Seminar
Study Focus: VMC
Term: Spring

Teacher: Mitsuyo WADA-MARCIANO

Course Code: JK36001

The Transcultural Cinema Forum in 2025 will consider what “cinema” means: the cinema, born at the end of the 19th century and regarded as the king of entertainment throughout the 20th century, is undergoing a major transformation in its form with the advent of the Internet in the 21st century. The purpose of this course is to reconsider the question “What Is cinema?” from the perspective of the year 2025.

There are many ways to refer to “eiga (映画),” with “film,” “movie,” and “cinema” all having
their own specific meanings. The word “film” is often used to refer to physical film, such as 35mm, 16mm and 8mm, and is also often used in the academic realm to refer to individual “cinematographic works.” On the other hand, “movie” is often used within the film industry to describe the way in which a film is viewed: for example, “The Best Movie of the Year 2025!” In the case of “cinema,” it is considered an expression that spans the entire act of seeing a movie, not just a single work of film. The act of buying a ticket at a movie theater, buying some popcorn from the concession stand, sitting in a chair in the theater,
watching a movie, and discussing one’s impressions after watching a movie, etc. are all part of the “ cinematic” experience.
The French film critic Andre Bazin (1918-1958), at the end of the 1950s, published his books, Qu’est-ce que le cinema? (What Is Cinema? / 『映画とは何か?』), and questioned what exactly “cinema” was. More than sixty years have passed since then, and in this course, we will continue to consider what cinema means to us now.
To this end, the Transcultural Cinema Forum will invite six guest speakers over the course of nine weeks, each of them an expert in his or her field, to define and reflect on “cinema” from all angles. In addition, films will be screened in class while matching each week’s topic. Since this course will be held in two sessions combined, the duration of the lecture will be 8 weeks instead of 15 weeks. Students will also be visiting the movie theater, Demachi-za/出町座, to view a film on the big screen and to analyze the theater itself in May.

Course Information

Module: Introduction to Transcultural Studies
CATS Requirements: BA 3rd year or above

Day/Period: Tue/4-5
Location: Lec. 9
Credits: 2

How To Get the Most Out of This Course:

Do your readings before coming to class. Use a highlighter or pen to make notes when you read. Develop a strategy for note-taking. Don’t let tough sections get you bogged down. Skim if necessary and then go back and read them more thoroughly later. Re-read.
Bring your reading materials for the week to class.
Keep this course syllabus with you through the semester. It contains valuable information and lets you know what we are doing, and when.
Attend all screenings and lectures.

Course Goals

This course is designed for all students who are interested in screen culture in Japan, East Asia, and other areas. Attending lectures, which will be held on Tuesdays, is mandatory in order to discuss both (1) films and (2) reading assignments during the classes. Therefore, all students must come to class after reading assigned for each weeks.