Fine Arts · Boston College
What makes a film popular? How does it reflect and represent its cultural moment? What kinds of pleasures do we get out of popular films? This course is on the history and philosophy of popular cinema. We will study the socio-political context of popular films as well as the economic and industrial causes that shape and determine popular taste, from film promotion strategies to algorithmic models on streaming sites. Core aesthetic and philosophical questions will be raised about the nature and power of film as a mass art as we examine ideas of entertainment, escapism, distraction and explore t
