Contemporary Cinema & Film Critique

Have you ever considered the impact films have on shaping ideas about identity within society or how culture influences characters in film? In this course we will approach film studies and critique from the relateable lens of teen cinema. From Rebel Without a Cause (1955) to Mean Girls (2004), teen films have consistently been a popular and profitable genre. Teen films both idealize and demonize adolescents, while mirroring and shaping societal expectations and fears about teen identities and roles. We will take a critical cultural studies approach to the analysis of representations of teens in film and consider the U.S. cultural values these images illuminate. This course provides an introductory survey of teen films as a distinct art form that has the ability to reflect, critique, reshape, and impact society and culture. We will critically examine and analyze the teen film genre and its relationship to various aspects of society and culture (i.e., race, class, gender, ability, sexuality, and and its relationship to various aspects of society and culture (i.e., race, class, gender, ability, sexuality).