AMST 1290

AMST 1290

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2017-2018.

Introduces students to the sociological analysis of American society through the lens of film. Major themes involve race, class, and gender; upward and downward mobility; incorporation and exclusion; small town vs the big city; and cultural conflicts over individualism, achievement, and community. We match a range of movies like American Graffiti (Lucas), Ace in the Hole (Wilder), The Asphalt Jungle (Houston), Do the Right Thing (Lee), The Heiress (Wyler), High Noon (Zinnemann), Mean Streets (Scorsese), Nashville (Altman), The Philadelphia Story (Cukor), and A Streetcar Named Desire (Kazan). Each film is paired with social scientific research that examines parallel topics, such as analyses of who goes to college, the production of news, deviant careers, urban riots, the gendered presentation of self, and the prisoner's dilemma.

When Offered Spring.

Distribution Category (SBA-AS)
Course Attribute (CU-SBY)

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Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: SOC 1290

  • 3 Credits Opt NoAud

  • 16771 AMST 1290   LEC 001