L.008.32365 American History Through Film

Lehrende: Prof. Dr. Miriam Strube

Veranstaltungsart: Oberseminar

Orga-Einheit: Anglistik/Amerikanistik

Anzeige im Stundenplan:

Semesterwochenstunden: 2

Unterrichtssprache: Englisch

Min. | Max. Teilnehmerzahl: - | 40

Zielgruppe:
This class is designed for master students and Lehramt students approaching the exam phase.

Literatur:
Literatur:
Texts will be available on Paul

Kommentar:
History is a body of facts that have been accepted as significant and valid. The main task of the historian is to record, interpret and arrange these facts. Like written history, featured films are an interpretation and arrangement. In this class, we will focus on these arrangements, these constructions of America history.
During the semester, we will examine three overlapping areas: 1. cinematic approaches to the history of America, 2. the representation of American myths such as the American dream, the South, and the frontier, 3. American identities (with a special focus on race, ethnicity, and gender).
The films to be analyzed range from classics like David Griffith’s Birth of a Nation (1915), David O. Selznick’s epic Gone with the Wind (1939) and John Ford’s Western The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) to recent films such as Terrence Malick’s The New World (2005).

As these films will be our primary sources, it is necessary to participate in the film screenings, which are part of this class (Thursdays 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.)