US History through the Movies

Catalog description

This class is designed to teach the social history of the United States during the Twentieth Century through the medium of popular film. As an upper level survey course, this class will not attempt any comprehensive coverage of the period, but will instead focus on America's cultural history as it is visually depicted by film makers (and reinforced by film viewers). Students will learn to interpret "snapshots" of a given generation's ideals and social expectations as they are depicted through visual artifacts and (often) idealized forms. Students will learn to relate the "snapshots" to larger trends in American history using some basic tools of historical analysis, including the ability to distinguish contemporary and historic presumptions, and also the ability identify and recognize social interpretation. Students will learn to communicate these findings through oral presentation and through analytical writing. This will be useful not only for future history courses, but also for any field requiring analytical thinking. Particular emphasis is placed throughout the course on the relationship between technology and culture. Components: Class GE: CP Civics & Perspectives, CP-P Historical Perspectives Prereqs/Coreqs: P: HISTORY 2330 or HISTORY 2430 Typically Offered: Based on Student Demand