Screening the American Western

Catalog description

This course examines Hollywood fiction/narrative films about the American West that were made over the last three-quarters of a century. It explores how our prevailing understandings of pastand contemporary aspects of American society and culture have been shaped by cinematic representations of the American West, including its role as a frontier and its influential portraits of people, places, events and history. It also examines how the American experience has roots in Hollywood’s versions of Western frontiers, rugged individuals, moral communities, law, violence, and American identity. It focuses too on the changing portrayals of majority and minority peoples and perspectives in Westerns. Prerequisite: ANTH 166. Offered every other year.