Politics, Ideology, & Film

Catalog description

Are we responsible for the actions of our leaders? Is it ever ethically or politically acceptable to torture people? How do ideologies – bodies of thought -- affect individuals, social movements, nations, institutions, and groups? This course examines major political ideologies through the study of primary texts, scholarly articles, and films. Films from Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and North America place each ideology in historical, political, and/or economic context. We master the complexities of ideologies such as fascism, racism, settler colonialism, communism, and sexism in historical context as well as evaluate ideologies that have shaped national and international politics in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.