Topic: Through the Camera's Eye: The Changing Role of Women in American History

Catalog description

Using both, film and written materials, this course explores the central role that women have played in the history and development of the United States, and the impact that history and the depiction of women in film, has had on the changing roles of women themselves. Through a study of films, documentaries, advertising, and written primary sources, students will be introduced to both this history of women in America and to the way that history has been told, and sometimes distorted, in popular media. The course will also examine the extent to which media portrayals of women have shaped American society’s perceptions of the role of women. By focusing on women of varied classes, races and ethnicities, and their portrayal in film, the course will encourage students to develop a more complex appreciation of the diverse nature of our national experience.