ENGL 204
Hollywood Film Fall 2016
Division I
Cross-listed COMP 221
This is not the current course catalog

For almost a century, Hollywood films have been the world’s most influential art form, shaping how we dress and talk, how we think about sex, race, and power, and what it means to be American. We’ll examine both the characteristic pleasures provided by Hollywood’s dominant genres–including action films, horror films, science fiction and fantasy, thrillers and romantic comedies–and the complex, sometimes unsavory fantasies they mobilize. We will do this by looking carefully at a dozen or so iconic films, probably including Psycho; The Godfather; Schindler’s List; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King;Bridesmaids; and 12 Years a Slave. In addition to the assigned reading, students will be required to attend free screenings of course films on Sunday evenings at Images Cinema.