Announcement

Since its foundation in 1781 El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles has been characterized by massive contrasts and has captivated the literary and cultural imagination. This fascination continues in twentieth- and twenty-first-century film - both nationally and internationally. In this seminar we will discuss the constructions of Los Angeles that appear in selected movies from the 1950s to the present, ranging from Sunset Boulevard to The Player , from The Big Sleep to Crash , and from Blade Runner to Boyz N the Hood , Short Cuts , and Magnolia . Our viewing and discussion of films will be complemented by secondary texts on the development and problems of Los Angeles.

To allow sufficient time for viewing films in class this will be a four-hour seminar; for "Studienbuch" and degree purposes, however, it will only count as 2 SWS. There will be a midterm and a final exam.

Although this is a film course, students should expect to do a sizeable amount of background reading in urban studies and film criticism. The seminar reader will be available from the copy shop at Reckhammerweg 4 after the first class meeting.

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