After introductions and classroom expectations are discussed, students will dive into how World War II impacted the film market, shaking up existing traditions in Germany and the United States. Further, students will discuss how tensions and rebuilding after the War led to avant-garde genres like French New Wave and Italian Neorealism. 

 This week, students explore the expansion of American film after the War, the rise of celebrity culture, and how politics began interfering with film production. Students will learn about the expansion of film noir and westerns after the War, alongside discussions of the Hays Code, the first code of conduct for film, and how McCarthyism and the Red Scare impacted those behind the scenes. 

 Students will learn about the rise of television in the post-War period and how it impacted theater-going, from the demolition of cartoon shorts in theaters to the reduction of theater audiences to the return to cinema classic genres, like Slapstick, on the small screen. Students will be introduced to their first writing assignment, a short analysis of an early television episode discussing how it relates to film traditions. Students will have two weeks to complete this assignment. 

 We take an international look at film traditions that become heavily popular after the War. First, all eyes are on India and a discussion of Bollywood traditions, including the origins of this theatrical, musical tradition and how it was used to draw attention to cultural pressures and issues in colonized India. Further, students will explore film traditions in Japan after the war, including the rise of animation traditions, martial arts films in the international market and, of course, Godzilla