Westerns: Film As A Lens To The Present

This course will explore the film genre of Westerns. Major themes and ideas will be examined via the work of selected films, directors and actors. Subjects to be studied via discussion and reflective assignments include the Origins of the Western, Components of the Western, Landscape and Setting, Indigenous Peoples, Women, Directors, Actors, and Films. The course will conclude with a discussion of the place of the Western in contemporary culture: can it still 'sit tall in the saddle'?