FILM AND HISTORY

Catalog description

This course is intended to introduce students to the uses of film as an historical source as well as a means of narrating the past. It presents filmic images as prisms and allegories through which individuals in the past understood their society. Students will be required to critically analyze the ideas and attitudes at work in film and the various stylistic and technical means through which those beliefs are communicated. It also will assess the merits of film as an historical source as well as the ways in which film is a powerful medium that influences how we view the past. Recognizing film as art, the course seeks to further the university’s dedication to fostering an appreciation of the arts. Possible topics include War and Film, The American West in Film, Decolonization and Film, Historical Films, etc. Prerequisites: HIST 101 and HIST 102.