Anthropology and Cinema

This course analyzes mass-market American films using traditional anthropological theories about symbolism, ritual, mythology, language, methaphor, narrative and discourse. The goal is to think of the movies as significant cultural artifacts that we use to make sense of the world rather than as just forms of entertainment or art. Through a study of popular American films and their related merchandise and cultural influences, we will also see how anthropology can be used to study contemporary cultures.