FYSP 119 - From Amistad to Andor: Representations of Rebellion and Revolution in Pop Culture

FC SSCI CD WINT

4 credits
What does it take to turn a rebellion into a revolution? This seminar is a study of peoples’ resistance movements as depicted in popular culture. How have rebellions been interpreted in movies and media, and in what ways are movies, TV, and other media able to tell the stories of people who are often invisible in historical records? What impact does historical context - such as the sociopolitical climate of the 1970s - have on the creation of popular culture as seen in films like Star Wars: A New Hope? Together we will engage with first-person accounts (trial transcripts, slave narratives, newspaper articles) and secondary texts to develop skills in analysis and research as we break down the stories of rebels, revolutionaries, and reactionaries as told through different media.