How did cinema, originally hailed as a popular entertainment, achieve the social legitimacy that elevated it to the rank of an art form and an industrial force? This course examines the development of cinema as an institution from its origins to its present digital extensions, with a particular focus on the United States and its dominance in the domestic and global markets. Relying on academic scholarship, film criticism, and a selection of films, we will examine the historical, social, and aesthetic conditions that led to the creation of the movie theater, art houses, and multiplexes, as well as cinema's relationship to television and online streaming. The study of the screening technologies and physical spaces will be accompanied by an analysis of how race, gender, and class played in drawing in or keeping out moviegoers.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 20

Prerequisites: None.

Instructor: Morari

Distribution Requirements: ARS - Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Film and Video

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered

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