MLA Proseminar: Hollywood: MLA Proseminar: Hollywood

This is a course on the history of Hollywood. It seeks to unravel Hollywood’s complex workings, explaining how business and politics have and continue to translate into the art of film, television, and new media. We will trace the American film industry from Edison to the internet, asking questions such as: What is the relationship between Hollywood and independent film? How has the global spread of Hollywood since the 1910s changed the film industry? How has Hollywood responded to political crises (e.g., world wars, the cold war, 9/11)? And how have new technologies such as synchronized sound, color cinematography, television, home video, computer graphics, streaming, and artificial intelligence changed Hollywood? We will look closely at individual studios, filmmakers, and films.