ITD 352: Tragedy Tonight, Comedy Tomorrow

The course looks at the interaction between film, history, and politics with an emphasis on what films tells about American history, politics, race relations, society, and culture. According to historian Steven Mintz films are "much more than mass entertainment" they are historical, political, and social documents of their time, like All the President's Men. The course looks at motion pictures and documentary films since non-fiction films provide another avenue to understand war, politics, social problems, race relations and anti-Semitism. Watching films requires the same critical thinking skills as reading texts and the course seeks to turn students from passive consumers to critical viewers who can evaluate the perspectives, messages, and themes contained in films.