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Sociology 
1 
 
 
   
 
Chinese Media and Society 
SOC 389        spring 2024 
 
T/Th 11:30 am-12:45 pm  
White Hall   110 
 
Instructor: Dr. Xinxin (Amy) Yang  
Email: xinxin.yang@emory.edu  
Google Voice: (678) 871-7658 (Text ONLY) 
Online Office Hours: Wednesdays 2:30 pm-3:00 pm or by appointment 
Office hours Link: https://emory.zoom.us/j/96353630121 
Meeting ID: 963 5363 0121 
 
 
 
 
Required Readings: 
Pdf documents on Canvas.  
 
Teaching Assistant: 
1. Xueqia Zhang, Ph.D. student, Sociology Department 
Email: Xueqia.zhang@emory.edu 
Office hours/link: TBA 
2. TBA 
 
 
Overview:  
This course introduces students to contemporary Chinese media and entertainment 
industry. Students will learn to investigate issues that arise in the interactions between 
media and society within a globalizing world by focusing on the development of Chinese 
media industry, mainland focused, since 1978. A range of Chinese media platforms will 
be discussed, including but not limited to newspapers, film, radio, TV, online media 
channels, social media, and so on. The class discussion starts with the historical and 
social context of the given media, the general developing trends, and is followed by 
analyzing specific cases. Through this course, students will gain both interpretive and 
critical methods to evaluate, and ultimately understand the dynamic relationship between 
society, media industry, culture and the media content, which is linked to a complex and 
globalized environment. In addition to class lecturing, we might invite some experts in 
the field join us with the latest information. 
**There is no language requirement or prerequisite for this course. 
 
 
 
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Objectives:  
1. Develop an understanding of major trends and theoretical debates on 
contemporary Chinese media industry.  
2. Learn about social, cultural, political and economic changes in China as push-pull 
factors impacting the Chinese media.  
3. Explore key impact that Chinese media industry has on contemporary China.  
4. Gain hands-on experience by using content analysis to do some empirical 
research on the topics of Chinese news, films and TV programs. 
 
Grading & Assignments: 
Your course grade will be calculated using the following distribution: 
 News Digest and Discussion                                       
4% (40 points) 
 Reading reaction papers                                              
16% (160 points) 
 News Group Project                                                 12% (120 points: 60+60) 
 Film Individual Project                                          
12% (120 points) 
 TV Individual Project  
 
 
 
12% (120 points) 
 Internet Group Project 
 
 
 
12% (120 points: 60+60) 
 Advertisement Individual Project  
 
 
12% (120 points) 
 Class participation                                                    20% (200 points: 8+12x16) 
             TOTAL                                                                   100% (1000 points) 
 
1. News Digest and Discussion Leadership (4%, 40 points) 
Students are required to collect and report on the latest Chinese Media news throughout 
the semester. Please bring in a recent news article about Chinese media, and then lead 
classroom discussion. For example, if you sign up for a news discussion spot in the TV 
section, you need bring in a piece of news about Chinese TV. The presenter needs to 
summarize the news, make a short comment, and prepare one or two thoughtful questions 
to guide a 3-minute class discussion. Digital sign-up sheet will be provided for choosing 
discussion days. 
 
2. Reading Reaction Papers (16%, 160 points, 16 points x 10) 
Students are required to write a 300 words reflection for each required reading. Please 
briefly describe the main ideas/statements of the paper and do not forget to add your own 
thoughts and comments. Students need to reflect on 10 articles from the total 17 readings 
(from reading #0 to reading #16).  
 
3. News Group Project (12%, 120 points) PPT Only 
This project consists of a systematic analysis of some aspect of American media coverage 
of China. By using content analysis, the group should prepare a 3 or 4-slide PowerPoint 
presentation to share the findings. All members in the same group get the exact same 
grade. Details will be announced in class. Due:  2/8, 10:00 pm 
 
 
 
Sociology 
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4. Film Individual Project (12%, 120 points) 
Choose one or two scenes from the film and describe in detail not only what the film tries 
to say, but also how it is said. In other words, pay close attention to the relationship 
between the story elements (plot, character, etc.), the language of film (mise-en-scène, 
editing, sound, cinematography, etc.) and the society (the film talks about, as well as the 
society that creates the film). A reaction paper should not be a plot summary or a 
biography of the director, nor should it merely be your opinion of the film. Complete 
details of the requirement will be distributed in class. Due: 2/26, 10:00 pm 
 
5. TV Individual Project (12%, 120 points) 
Complete details of the requirement will be distributed in class. Due: 3/22, 10:00pm 
 
6. Internet Group Project (12%, 120 points) PPT Only 
Analysis a media company or a particular time of a media company. You need to 
pinpoint the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, as well as the 
reasons behind. Complete details of the requirement will be distributed in class.  
Due: 4/10, 10:00pm 
 
7. Advertisement Individual Project (12%, 120 points) 
One page only. Study how the U.S. and China advertise same products. Details will be 
announced later. Due: 4/28, 10:00pm 
 
8. Participation (20%, 200 points) 
Participation weighs heavily toward the final grade. As this is not primarily a lecture 
course, much of the learning takes place during exchange of ideas in class. You should 
pace yourself so that you come to class well prepared for discussion. Buying out is the 
only option. Other than that will lower your total grade a letter. 
 
Office hours and E-mail:  
You are encouraged to attend my office hours or schedule an appointment outside of the 
regular times, or email me to discuss any questions you have regarding the readings, 
lectures, or assignments. Sometimes, you might expect to wait about 24 hours on 
weekdays and 48 hours on weekend to hear back from me via email. 
 
Plagiarism:  
All assignments turned in for this course must be the student’s own work or must be 
properly attributed to the source with proper citations. Students are to do their own work, 
neither cheating nor plagiarizing: We expect every student to do their own work solo and 
to observe and obey the Honor Code of Emory College 
(http://college.emory.edu/home/academic/policy/honor_code.html) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Access and Disability Resources:  
Students with medical/health conditions that might impact academic success should visit 
Access, Disability Services and Resources (ADSR formerly the Office of Disability 
Services, ODS) to determine eligibility for appropriate accommodations. Students who 
receive accommodations must present the Accommodation Letter from ADSR to your 
professor at the beginning of the semester, or when the letter is received.    
 
Writing Center and ESL Program Support for Emory College Students: 
Tutors in the Emory Writing Center and the ESL Program are available to support Emory 
College students as they work on any type of writing assignment, at any stage of the 
composing process. Tutors can assist with a range of projects, from traditional papers and 
presentations to websites and other multimedia projects. Writing Center and ESL tutors 
take a similar approach as they work with students on concerns including idea 
development, structure, use of sources, grammar, and word choice. They do not 
proofread for students. Instead, they discuss strategies and resources students can use as 
they write, revise, and edit their own work. Students who are non-native speakers of 
English are welcome to visit either the Writing Center tutors or the ESL tutors. All other 
students in the college should see Writing Center tutors. Learn more and make an 
appointment by visiting the websites of the ESL Program and the Writing Center. Please 
review tutoring policies before your visit. 
 
 
Course Structure (Tentative) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Newspaper 
Radio and TV 
Internet and social media 
Advertising 
Introduction 
Content Analysis Project (Group) 
TV Reaction Paper (Individual) 
Industry Report (Group) 
Film 
Film Reaction Paper (Individual) 
Ads Case Study (Individual) 
 
Sociology 
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Course Schedule (Tentative) 
 
 
Date 
Topic 
Reading 
Due 
W#1 
Intro 
 
1/18 
(Th.) 
Introduction 
Game Day 
None 
 
None 
W#2: 
Newspaper 
1/23 
(Tu.) 
Xinhua News 
Agency  
Covid-19  
 
Zhou, X. (2020). Organizational 
response to COVID-19 crisis: 
Reflections on the Chinese 
bureaucracy and its 
resilience.  Management and 
Organization Review, 16(3), 
473-484. (Reading #0) 
None 
 
1/25 
(Th.) 
Party, 
Control, 
Digitalization 
Wang, H., & Sparks, C. (2019). 
Chinese Newspaper Groups in 
the Digital Era: The Resurgence 
of the Party Press. Journal of 
Communication, 69(1), 94-119 
(Reading #1) 
P#1 
RR #1  
News 
Digest 
sign-up 
W#3: 
Newspaper 
1/30 
(Tu.) 
Framing 
Theory 
International 
news 
Content 
analysis 
Kuang, X., & Wang, H. (2020). 
Framing international news in 
China: An analysis of trans-
edited news in Chinese 
newspapers. Global Media and 
China, 5(2), 188-202. (Reading 
#2) 
P#2 
RR#2 
News 
Digest 1 
 
2/1 
(Th.) 
TA session 
Content analysis research 
(Group Project 1) 
 
W#4: 
Project 
2/6 
(Tu.) 
Group 
Presentation I 
None 
 
 
2/8 
(Th.) 
Group 
Presentation 
II 
None 
Group 
Project 
due: 2/8, 
10:00 pm 
W#5: 
Drama 
&Film 
2/13 
(Tu.) 
Gold Periods; 
Yang Ban Xi  
 
 
Zhang, H., & Corse, S. M. 
(2019). Staging communism: 
State control and the Chinese 
model opera. American Journal 
of Cultural Sociology, 7(1), 79-
100. (Reading #3) 
P#3 
RR#3 
News 
Digest 2 
 
 
 
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2/15 
(Th.) 
Screening at 
home  
 
 
Options: Raise the Red Lantern 
(Youtube, Zhang Yimou 1991) ; 
To Live (Youtube, Zhang 
Yimou 1994); Legend of the 
Demon Cat (Youtube free with 
AD, Chen Kaige, 2017) ; A 
Touch of Sin (Emory Library 
Online, Jia Zhangke, 2013) 
 
 
W#6: 
Film 
& 
Project 
2/20 
(Tu.) 
Filmmaking 
generations 
Clark, P. (2021). Generating 
History: Rethinking 
Generations in Chinese 
Filmmaking. Journal of 
Chinese Film Studies, 1(1), 5-
18.(Reading #4) 
P#4 
RR#4 
News 
Digest 3 
 
 
2/22 
(Th.) 
 
Chinese 
Dream, Box-
office 
Martial arts 
film 
Wendy Larson (2011), “The 
Fifth Generation: A 
Reassessment,” in The 
Chinese Cinema Book, 113-121. 
(Reading #5) 
P#5  
RR#5 
News 
Digest 4 
Film 
Reaction 
Paper due: 
2/26, 
10:00 pm 
W#7: 
Radio 
TV 
2/27 
(Tu.) 
 
Radio 
TV 
Qian, J., & Lu, Y. (2019). On 
the trail of comparative 
urbanism: Square dance and 
public space in China. 
Transactions of the Institute of 
British Geographers, 44(4), 
692-706. (Reading #6) 
P#6 
RR#6 
News 
Digest 5 
 
2/29 
(Th.) 
 
TV program: 
Spring 
Festival Gala 
Yuan, Y. (2017). Casting an 
‘Outsider’in the ritual centre: 
Two decades of performances 
of ‘Rural Migrants’ in CCTV’s 
Spring Festival Gala. Global 
Media and China, 2(2), 169-
182. (Reading #7) 
P#7 
RR#7 
News 
Digest 6 
W#8: 
TV 
3/5 
(Tu.) 
 
Reality show 
Zhao, J. J. (2018). Queer, yet 
never lesbian: a ten-year look 
back at the reality TV singing 
competition show Super Voice 
Girl. Celebrity Studies, 9(4), 
470-486. (Reading #8) 
P#8 
RR#8 
News 
Digest 7 
 
 
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3/7 
(Th.) 
 
TV drama 
Dynasty TV 
Wang, Yingzi; Klein, Thoralf 
(2021): Representing the 
victorious past: Chinese 
revolutionary TV drama 
between propaganda and 
marketization. Journal 
contribution. (Reading #9) 
P#9 
RR#9 
News 
Digest 8 
W#9 
3/12 
(Tu.) 
No Class  
Spring Break  
None 
 
 
 
3/14 
(Th.) 
No Class  
Spring Break 
None 
 
W#10 
TV 
3/19 
(Tu.) 
 
TV drama: 
Dynasty TV 
 
Zhu, Y. (2020). Corruption and 
Officialdom: Chinese dynasty 
TV drama as political discourse 
1. In Routledge Handbook of 
Chinese Culture and Society 
(pp. 328-342). Routledge. 
(Reading #10) 
P#10 
RR#10 
News 
Digest 9 
 
3/21 
(Th.) 
 
TV drama: 
Idol Drama, 
Danmei, 
Time travel 
Ye, S. (2023). Word of Honor 
and brand homonationalism 
with “Chinese characteristics”: 
The dangai industry, queer 
masculinity and the “opacity” 
of the state. Feminist Media 
Studies, 23(4), 1593-1609. 
(Reading #11) 
P#11 
RR#11 
News 
Digest 10 
TV 
reflection 
due: 3/22, 
10:00pm 
W#11 
Internet 
3/26 
(Tu.) 
 
Internet  
Liu, L., & Pan, Y. (2017). 
Review of 20 Years of Internet 
Development in 
China. In New Media and 
China's Social Development 
(pp. 1-14). (Reading #12) 
P#12 
RR#12 
News 
Digest 11 
 
 
3/28 
(Th.) 
 
WeChat 
Jean-Christophe Plantin & 
Gabriele de Seta (2019) 
WeChat as infrastructure: 
the techno-nationalist shaping 
of Chinese digital platforms, 
Chinese Journal of 
Communication, 12:3, 257-273 
(Reading #13) 
P#13 
RR#13 
News 
Digest 12 
 
W#12 
Internet  
&Project 
4/2 
(Tu.) 
TA Lecture  
 
TBA 
 
 
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4/4 
(Th.) 
TA session 
Internet Group work 
 
W#13 
Internet 
4/9 
(Tu.) 
New Culture 
New Media 
Censorship 
Song, H., Pan, Y., & Liu, L. 
(2017). Changes in Chinese 
People’s Cultural Life in New 
Media Environment. In New 
Media and China's Social 
Development (pp. 145-163). 
(Reading #14) 
P#14 
RR#14 
News 
Digest 13 
 
4/11 
(Th.) 
Group 
Presentation 
 
none 
W#14 
4/16 
(Tu.) 
Group 
Presentation 
 
Group 
project 
due: 
4/10, 
10:00pm  
 
4/18 
(Th.) 
 Advertising 
Puppin, G., (2020). Forty Years 
of the Return of Advertising in 
China (1979–2019): A Critical 
Overview. JOMEC Journal, 
(15), pp.1–19. (Reading #15) 
P#15 
RR#15 
News 
Digest 14 
W#15 
4/23 
(Tu.) 
Advertising 
Ma, J., Zhao, Y., & Mo, Z. 
(2023). Dynamic luxury 
advertising: Using lifestyle 
versus functional 
advertisements in different 
purchase stages. Journal of 
Advertising, 52(1), 39-56. 
 (Reading #16) 
P#16 
RR#16 
News 
Digest 15 
 
4/25 
(Th.) 
Conclusion 
Individual 
meeting 
Summary 
Ad project 
Due: 4/28, 
10:00pm 
 
 
Game points (max buy-out): 
 5 Reading Reaction papers 
(16 points each) 
 4 Participations 
(1st: 15 points, 2nd:20 points,  
3rd:50 points, 4th: 100 points)  
 The Film or TV or Advertisement Project  
(120 points)