FYS 1049 - Art and American Identities

Hours: 4
Nearly since the establishment of the United States, “America” has also been a powerful idea - an idea that has been narrated, embellished, questioned, and complicated in art and popular culture. In this class we will study the ways that American identity and elaborations on and critiques of the American Dream are put on display in film and theatre of the 20th and 21st century. Particular attention will be paid to the ways that underrepresented or disempowered groups are represented in a range of expressions, and the ways that film, popular performance, and theatre illuminate the myriad myths, stories, and expectations coded in the seemingly simple idea of “being an American.” We will also consider what it might mean to create an artistic portrayal of American-ness as it is now.

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FYS 1049 - Art and American Identities