Listed in: American Studies, as AMST-337 | Film and Media Studies, as FAMS-337 | History, as HIST-337
Francis G. Couvares (Section 01)
(Offered as AMST-337, FAMS-337, and HIST-337) Almost from their very first days, even as they provoked a sense of wonderment, movies also provoked alarm and became targets of censorship. This course traces that set of reactions from the campaign to shut down the 1915 racist epic, “Birth of a Nation;” through the campaigns against sexual display and ethnic insult in the 1920s; to the Production Code era in the 1930s, with its “fallen women,” gangsters, and “screwballs"; through the end of the studio system and the rise of political censorship in the Cold War era. Frequent film viewing and intensive reading will be required, as also will be several smaller and at least one larger writing assignment.
Limited to 20 students. Fall semester. Professor Couvares
How to handle overenrollment: majors in History, American Studies, and FAMS will get priority
Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Verbal and written analysis of films and interpretation of primary documents and historical scholarship
Section 01
Tu 8:30 AM - 9:50 AM CHAP 101
Th 8:30 AM - 9:50 AM CHAP 101
This is preliminary information about books for this course. Please contact your instructor or the Academic Coordinator for the department, before attempting to purchase these books.
| ISBN | Title | Publisher | Author(s) | Comment | Book Store | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Movie Censorship and American Culture 2nd ed. | Univ. of MA, Amherst | Couvares, Francis | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Public Enemies, Public Heroes: Screening the Gangster from Little Caesar to Touch of Evil | Univ. of Chicago Press | Munby, Jonathan | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Wages of Sin: Censorship and the Fallen Woman Film 1928-1942 | Univ. of California Press | Jacobs, Lea | Amherst Books | TBD | ||
| Hollywood V. Hardcore: How the Struggle over Censorship Created the Modern Film Industry | NYU Press | Lewis, Jon | Amherst Books | TBD |
These books are available locally at Amherst Books.