PS 3570 - Politics and Film (3) [WID]

When Offered: Fall; Spring
GEN ED: Junior Writing in the Discipline (WID)
This class will include a review of contemporary as well as classic movies. Thematically, our films will cover topics including campaigns and elections, nuclear war, congressional politics, political ambition, racial politics, sexual orientation, local politics, and authoritarianism. After viewing each film, we will assess as a group the degree to which the political portrayal differs from political reality as understood through political science. Where significant discrepancies exist, we will consider the implications of these misrepresentations. We will use the films as vehicles for surveying and better understanding how we understand politics and how the film’s writers, producers, and actors understand politics, and what messages we think were conveyed to public.
Prerequisite: RC 2001 or its equivalent