Global Cinema: Action Films introduces students to the major action subgenres—from spy thrillers and buddy films to sci-fi blockbusters and superhero spectaculars—while examining its aesthetic devices, history, cultural impact, and global evolution. The course traces the emergence of action cinema through its precursors, such as film noir and westerns, to establish the genre's codes, conventions, and preoccupations. It further situates action film as a global practice by analyzing Hollywood productions alongside Hong Kong wuxia, Bollywood masala films, Japanese samurai cinema, and Korean thrillers, revealing their influence on the idiom, tempo, and aesthetic strategies of the contemporary action film.
Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy.
This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Arts, Humanities & Ethics area.
Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help master course content, and support students’ broad academic and career goals.
This course should direct students toward a broad Orienting Question:
- How do I interpret the human experience through creative, linguistic, and philosophical works?
Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome:
- Students will effectively analyze and interpret the meaning, cultural significance and ethical implications of literary/philosophical texts in English or other languages, or of works in the visual/performing arts.
Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies:
- Ethical Reasoning
- Information Literacy
- Intercultural Competence