Mulan: A Discussion on the New (2020) Mulan Movie.

The 75 minute class will encompass the Chinese culture and history as portrayed by the new Mulan movie. We will begin with a brief historical background lecture of China at the time of Mulan.  There will be an open-discussion of how the ancient Chinese history is not only relevant to the movie but also to China's culture today. After discussing the era of dynasties and emperors, the learner will list the character traits of two main characters and incorporate their findings in a Venn diagram. We will also discuss the symbolism used in the movie and how it affects the audience.  While talking about the characters of this movie,  we will also discuss the backstory of the antagonists and if they had good reasons for their actions. Next, the learners will also talk about the themes of the movie, and how the meanings evolved throughout the movie.  The learners will identify several symbols used throughout the movie and discuss their value to the story.  Lastly, we will end the class with the drawing, writing or painting of Chinese characters that were a vital theme in the movie. This class will be an informal time with a lot of discussion and learning from an excellent film.