Film Studies 1

The percentage of the United States of America’s budget allotted to its military underlines the importance this 
institution holds in the USA. This course will explore American twentieth and twenty-first century society through 
the war film’s evolution in Hollywood. Working our way through a select filmography, we will examine the 
fluctuating attitude in the films towards violence, and analyze how this reflects the American culture of that time. 
With films taking positions from blatant propaganda to anti-war to gratuitous violence, we will study the national 
reception these works received and their historical significance. The different ways of approaching its wars, from a 
contemporary to retrospective approach, will also be revelatory. Beyond acting as an introduction to American 
society and civilization, the course will also involve an aesthetic approach to the war film.

Syllabus and bibliography to be distributed during the first session