FS 444S - Hollywood Stardom

Prerequisites, FTV 140 and FS 244 or FS 245. This course examines the evolving function of stardom and celebrity in Hollywood. Students will consider how these roles and methods of performance have changed and developed throughout the history of film and television by studying stars as both semiotic and sociological constructions - as images that can be “read” and deconstructed, but also as manifestations of specific cultural moments. In doing so, this course examines the cultural and industrial dimensions of screen acting, the development of the Hollywood star system, and the historical methods of performance. Students also consider the array of ways that stars make careers out of acting, various methods of on-screen performance, the development of off-screen star personae, and the ways that actors build their brands. Students will examine key concepts from star studies, film theory and criticism, and American film history in order to expand their understanding of stardom by viewing a range of onscreen performances. Doing so will demonstrate how stardom and celebrity culture fits into a larger cultural and economic understanding of Hollywood and the contemporary media landscape. DCFMA film studies majors and minors have enrollment priority. Letter grade. (Offered as needed.) 3 credits