FYF@Innis Seminars

Media Worlds and East Asia

Professor: Michelle Cho
Subject: East Asian Studies
Course Code: EAS197H1

Seminar description

The term “world-making” is often used nowadays to refer to transmedia storytelling, or the creation of story-worlds across serial narratives in a range of entertainment media, such as novels, games, film series/franchises, television shows, comics, and webtoons. This course looks at the ways that media producers and fans, alike, engage with media worlds. More importantly, the course situates these media worlds within a broader conception of “world-making,” namely, the geopolitical and economic configuration of modern East Asia. (No prior knowledge of East Asian languages or cultures is necessary.)

Get to know your professor

Michelle Cho

headshot of Eva-Lynn Jagoe

You can call me…

Professor Satsuka

I just can't live without…

Manga!

I just can't live without…

Manga!

My hometown is…​

Tokyo, Japan

For my undergraduate degree…

I studied History at Keiko University, Japan.

I am surprisingly good at…

Remembering a route

Fun fact:

I’m learning woodworking with hand tools only!

If I wasn't teaching, I would be a…

An organic farmer.

NAME: Bart Testa

INNIS FYF SEMINAR I WILL BE TEACHING IN 2020-2021: Story Worlds & The Cinema, Action Cinema, Chinese Cinemas

HOMETOWN: Toronto

THE LAST GREAT MOVIE I SAW WAS: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

MY ACTUAL FAVOURITE MOVIE: Touch of Evil

THE SONG I HAVE ON REPEAT RIGHT NOW: “Opening” by Phillip Glass

FAVOURITE FOOD: Pizza

GUILTY PLEASURE: Zombie & vampire movies

I AM SURPRISINGLY VERY GOOD AT: Dish washing

A FUN FACT ABOUT MYSELF: I have a new puppy.

MY FAVOURITE THING ABOUT TEACHING: The actual teaching part.

WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE MY CLASS: Many opportunities to work on your writing.

WHAT I WANT MY STUDENTS TO KNOW: All writing is rewriting.

A COOL FACT ABOUT MY FIELD OF STUDY: I get paid to talk about films.

SOME FINAL WORDS: Roll credits.

What I'm working on now is…

Writing a book about mushroom and humans.

Lately, something that has been exciting me about my research/scholarship is…

How fungi helps us see the world from a new perspective.

A fun fact about my field of study is…

A small surprise in everyday life can lead to a big theoretical discovery.

I was inspired to get into this field because…

It challenges taken-for-granted perspectives.

A fun fact about my field of study is…

In a sentence, what you’ll learn in my course:

You will develop skills to analyze human-nonhuman relations expressed in Japanese manga and anime from socio-cultural anthropological perspectives.

One of my favourite things about teaching first-year students is…

Enthusiasm

My best advice for those starting their first year…

Follow your curiosity. Explore new perspectives.

NAME: Chelsea Rochman.

INNIS FYF SEMINAR I WILL BE TEACHING IN 2020-2021: EEB197H1S Biodiversity and the city

HOMETOWN: Tucson, Arizona.

THE LAST GREAT MOVIE I SAW WAS: Coco :)

MY ACTUAL FAVOURITE MOVIE: hmmmm… not sure.

THE SONG I HAVE ON REPEAT RIGHT NOW: CSNY, Judy Blue Eyes.

FAVOURITE FOOD: Pickles & gummy candy.

GUILTY PLEASURE: Gummy worms & other gummy candy.

I AM SURPRISINGLY VERY GOOD AT: Multi-tasking.

A FUN FACT ABOUT MYSELF: I have 2 sisters named Berrye.

MY FAVOURITE THING ABOUT TEACHING: Keeping up with the knowledge.

WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE MY CLASS: So you can see the nature behind the concrete in our city.

WHAT I WANT MY STUDENTS TO KNOW: We live in the Carolinian forest.

A COOL FACT ABOUT MY FIELD OF STUDY: There are just as many freshwater fish species as marine.

SOME FINAL WORDS: The waste hierarchy is a good rule to live by.

Good to know

Pre-requisites: none
Co-requisites: none
Exclusions: none
Recommended Preparation: none
Breadth: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)
CR/NCR: Not eligible for CR/NCR option
Restrictions: Restricted to first-year students

Register for FYF@Innis seminars

You can enrol in courses on a first-come, first-served basis during regular course registration.

Have a question?

Need more info about FYF@Innis seminars? Not sure which seminar is right for you? We can help!

programs.innis@utoronto.ca
416-946-7107