Topics will vary by semester. Consult the course descriptions provided by the Department each semester for current offerings. Fall 2004: Cold War Culture: Beyond Hollywood. What do Marilyn Monroe, civil defense films and classroom sex-ed instruction have in common? This course will explore the role of the lesser-known film industries documentary, industrial, instructional, and government that joined Hollywood in representing the anxieties of the Cold War period to American audiences. Starting with a brief overview of popular Hollywood postwar film genres (noir, the western, science fiction), well proceed to view and discuss a variety of films that interpreted postwar culture, including: Civil defense films that reassured audiences they could survive a nuclear attack; social etiquette films that tried to control adolescent behavior; and, industry films that promoted a pro-business ideology (General Motors recruited Marilyn Monroe for a corporate drama)
