Undergraduate Courses (list)

This class traces the history of film in the United States from its beginnings in Thomas Edison’s West Orange laboratory to the collapse of the Hollywood studio system model in the late 1940s. Topics include the development of screen narrative, the coming of sound, censorship issues, exhibition practices, silent cinema, and the influence of European films and filmmakers. Screenings feature the work of Griffith, Hawks, Murnau, Capra, Welles and others. Response essays and term paper required.