Beyond Hollywood

Catalog description

This course concentrates on the representation of children and adolescents in world cinema. The portrayal of children throughout world cinema has a long and rich complex history, which has been primarily shaped by family and national structures. Through film screenings, readings, and discussions class will center on the exploration of what it means to look at children and what cultural baggage are their bodies asked to carry. Also, what impact do national and global politics have on the lives of children? Through the establishment and use of basic vocabulary and analytic methodologies of film studies, larger theoretical and practical questions about how cinema functions as a cultural and ideological force, especially how it helps to construct ideas about the family, the nation, and national identities will be addressed. Class screenings will cover a breadth of children and adolescents in world cinema but readings, discussions, and outside film viewings will provide a more comprehensive overall picture. Course fee required.