LS 742 - Shades of Black: Film Noir and Post-War America

(3.00 cr.)

The darkest genre in American cinema, with tales of crime, corruption, and anti-heroism. Film noir has its origins in German expressionist film, but as it developed, it reflected and shaped post-World War II cultural anxieties about gender, race, power, and violence. Students view films, read source novels, and consider important critical writings about the genre.