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In this class we will explore numerous facets of a central cultural key concept of the U.S.A., namely the American Dream. After discussing historical sources and developments of the American Dream we will analyze how this concept and its negation - the American Nightmare - are represented in a variety of films. The films we will discuss include The Gold Rush (1925), Citizen Kane (1941), A Star Is Born (1954), Stranger Than Paradise (1984), Malcolm X (1992), Forrest Gump (1994), American Beauty (1999), Requiem for a Dream (2000), World Trade Center (2006), and The Joneses (2009).
All participants are asked to purchase their own copy of
Cullen, Jim P. The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea That Shaped a Nation. New York: Oxford UP, 2004. ISBN-10: 0195173252. ISBN-13: 978-0195173253.
A reader of additional texts will be available from the copy shop on Reckhammerweg 4 after the first class meeting.
First session: Wednesday, April 18, 2012.
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