LVA2067 Film and the City
(Intermediate Liberal Arts)
The birth of cinema coincided with a period of urbanization and a new sense of life in the modern metropolis. From the beginnings of film history to the present, movies have come to grips with the complexities of the urban environment. They have shaped our sense of cities as symbolic sites signifying opportunity, progress, and the promise of social integration but also danger, alienation, and the collision of distinct cultures. Ranging from neon-lit wonderlands to post-apocalyptic wastelands, cinematic cities have mapped our cultural aspirations and anxieties. This course will explore how cities have been represented in movies from the silent era onward. Weekly film viewings will be complemented by readings in film and urban history.
Prerequisites: RHT1000 and RHT1001 and AHS1000 This course may be offered Spring or Fall semester.