American Indian Studies is offering a special appearance of our popular AIS 360: Indians in Cinema, taught by Carol Warrior, this summer! This is a b-term course, offered MTuWTh 10:50 - 1:00, and, as always, it is VLPA/I&S.
This course focuses on the representation of American Indians in American cinema as central to the formation of the national identity narrative. The “American Indian” is an invented identity: the deployment of “The Indian” says more about the inventors than it does about the diverse people groups the label supposedly denotes. Within particular historical moments, representations of “The Indian” run the gamut between antagonistic dehumanization and sympathetic depictions of actual Indigenous North Americans, so in order to demonstrate such ambivalent trends, we will view and examine a variety of American films. The course will also give attention to filmic self-representation of Indigenous peoples, their resistance to the aforementioned social constructions, and how contemporary North American Indigenous filmmakers choose to represent their own “realities.” VLPA/I&S.
Film list:
- Reel Injun
- Dances With Wolves
- Dance Me Outside
- Smoke Signals
- The Canary Effect
- The Doe Boy
- Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner
The entire list hasn't been determined yet, but other possible films might include:
- Pocahontas
- Dead Man
- Broken Arrow
- The Searchers
- Black Robe
- The Business of Fancydancing
- Last of the Mohicans
- Thunderheart
Register today! Keep an eye on the blog for more information! Questions? Contact adviser Elissa Washuta.