Dream Factory: The Motion Picture Industry in American Society
Course Convenor: Lawrence Napper
Course Code: CINE 1008
Hollywood studios produced celluloid dreams using advanced industrial and marketing methods. Between 1920 and 1950, the film industry dominated American and, to a large extent, world popular entertainment. This course will set the history of this important industry within the broader framework of twentieth-century American history.
The course traces the devlopment of the American film industry from its origins in the late nineteenth century to approximately 1980. The course enables students to understand the evolving nature of the American motion picture industry and the processes of cultural production through an examination of the industry's business and commercial practices, its relationship to the state, and its location within the broader pattern of twentieth-century American politics and society.
The course is suitable for students with an interest in film studies, literature, media, history and politics.