This course examines history and film in Europe from the immediate aftermath of the devastation of the Second World War to the present. Topics include: the reconstruction of Europe, the Cold War, Americanization, the expansion of the welfare state, decolonization and immigration, student protest, the radical right, integration, and more. The course will be taught with a mix of lecture and discussion. A large part of our studies will be devoted to a consideration of how the larger political and social struggles of Europe have been refracted and interpreted in the art of cinema.
There will be (required) weekly film showings in the evening. We’ll watch important (and often challenging) films from postwar European cinema. Titles include: The Third Man, Rome: Open City, The Marriage of Maria Braun, Blow-Up, Blind Chance, Hate. Requirements include weekly film analyses, two formal papers, three short exams and a final examination. MW 2