In this course we will explore the vibrant film cultures of Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, The Philippines, mainland China, Thailand and Singapore. We will focus...

In this course we will explore the vibrant film cultures of Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, The Philippines, mainland China, Thailand and Singapore. We will focus on New Waves in Taiwan, global auteur cinema from mainland China and South Korea, women’s cinema in the studio system of Japan, political melodramas from The Philippines made under Martial Law, the unique career of Takeshi Kitano from comedian to art-house auteur, films about migrant life from Singapore, and the dreamlike cinema of Apichatpong Weerasethakul. 

Asia is understood not as an essentialist category, but as a contextualised position and we will fully contextualise the socio-political, cultural, industrial, commercial and historical conditions of each cinematic tradition we look at in the region. We will also focus on issues including the relationship between popular and sociopolitical filmmaking; provincialism and nationalism; ‘projecting to Western expectations’ and orientalism; audience reception in and outside of Asia; localizing blockbusters to appeal to local audiences; and how directors use film form to generate meaning. 

CELL BIOLOGY|CANCER STEM CELLS|HUMAN DISEASE MODELLING|MEDICAL ETHICS

Summary 

The module will introduce you to: Basic stem cell biology; induction of pluripotent stem cells; cancer stem cells; different sources of stem cells...

Summary 

The module will introduce you to: Basic stem cell biology; induction of pluripotent stem cells; cancer stem cells; different sources of stem cells with potential for clinical applications aimed at repairing diseased or damaged tissues, including those due to birth defects; stem cells for human disease modelling. The importance of multidisciplinary approaches and regulatory and ethical issues concerning the use of stem cells and translation into the clinic will also be addressed. There will be the opportunity for you to attend additional ICH/UCL research seminars and also the annual one day London Stem Cell Network Symposium.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes 

After successfully completing the module, you should be able to:
	Select appropriate models for testing potential value of cells from different sources for the repair of specific tissues
	Assess methodological and ethical issues concerning the use of stem cells in laboratory and clinical contexts
	Critically interpret and evaluate study findings
	Review and effectively present study findings, methodologies and ethical issues
Who is this module for? 

This is a core module for the MSc “Cell and Gene Therapy” and an optional module for the MSc “ Personalized Medicine and Novel Therapies”.

Teaching and Learning Methods

This module will be delivered mostly as a series of lectures given by basic scientists and clinicians based at ICH/UCL with some external experts. There will also be some discussion sessions on selected topics. You will be encouraged to attend additional research seminars, though this is not compulsory. You will be expected to undertake research presentations to tutors and other students and will also be expected to undertake periods of self-study, as directed by the course tutor.