Movies and American Society 4219-SH063
Popular movies are one of the most important form of American mass culture in the twentieth century. In this course, we will explore the use of popular movies both as cultural artifacts (evidence) as well as a way of telling history. Movies can be used to understand the era in which they were made and first viewed, thus they provide a window on American society of their present even if the setting of the movie is in the past. Furthermore, movies set in the past can be analyzed for how Hollywood acted as an historian. In other words, movies contribute to the conversion about American myths and values. This course is not a comprehensive of history of Hollywood or of narrative film but seeks to study these issues through a selection of Hollywood films from the 1910s through the 1990s.
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Goals:
Knowledge
1. To learn how to evaluate fictional movies for what they tell us about the era in which they were made.
2. To learn how to use movies as cultural artifacts or evidence for historical study and research.
Skills
1. To develop skills in interpreting the visual images in film for their historical meaning.
2. To develop writing skills that synthesize information from historical analysis, primary sources, and film.
Competences
1. To appreciate the problems with and the contributions of docudramas and documentaries to telling and interpreting the past.
2.To appreciate how popular movies can contribute to shaping a society's memory of its past.
Assessment criteria
Students are expected to attend class prepared to discuss the assigned readings and the film(s) under review. As a part of your grade, you will need to submit answers to questions about the readings and films. These answers will comprise one third of your course grade (34%).
Additionally, you will write two 3-6 page critiques of films viewed in class. These essays will comprise two thirds of your final grade (66%).
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: