Spring 2008

GOV 370L • 6-Politics of Hollywood

Course Description

This is a course in the politics of the screen entertainment industrytelevision, motion pictures, and the newly emerging media such as computers and cell phones. We deal with orthodox political science subjects such as government regulation, interest groups, and participation in elections. We also discuss less orthodox subjects such as the symbolic meaning of Genres, and the impact of watching television on children. I have three purposes in this course: 1. To enable students to begin to think about Hollywood in a scholarly manner. 2. To help students to become more informed consumers of Hollywood's products. 3. To aid students in becoming better citizens, in the sense of being able to understand and evaluate arguments about public policy that are relevant to Hollywood.

Texts

Assigned reading (subject to change): A package of readings, available at the House of Tutors, on 24th St. and Pearl St. Daniel Franklin, Politics and Film James Steyer, The Other Parent

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