Desire, fear, violence, and redemption are themes that appear repeatedly throughout the stories that have shaped American identity. We are a nation surrounded by ghosts-our collective psyche defined by what has been lost or missing as much as what has been gained or found. This course takes us beyond a retelling of the things that go bump in the night to examine how we currently craft stories about race, gender, and sexuality in America. Through seminal examples of contemporary American storytelling across multiple visual forms, including film, music, photography, and sculpture, we will explore narratives that recognize and reckon with lives that refuse to remain hidden from view. Through this exploration, we will develop foundational techniques in critical analysis and visual interpretation that can be broadly applied to social and cultural power dynamics.

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