More than any other medium, the motion pictures fostered new ideals and images of modern womanhood and manhood in the United States.  Throughout the twentieth century, gender representations on the screen bore a complex relationship to the social, economic, and political transformations marking the lives and consciousness of American men and women. This course explores the history of American gender through film. It treats the motion pictures as a primary source that, juxtaposed with other kinds of historical evidence, opens a window onto gendered work, leisure, sexuality, family life, and politics.  We will view a wide range of Hollywood motion pictures since 1900, as well as films by blacklisted artists, feminists, and independent producers.