The American Western reveals the character, morality, cultural, political and psychological nature of America. Through this genre that dominated film and television for decades, the birth and greening of the United States can be examined, dissected and discovered. Topics to be discussed include: cowboy and Native-American culture, the horse and the automobile, the development of the Western town, violence and guns, law enforcement, the growth of the industrial complex, gender issues, poetics, revisionism and the role of religion and spirituality. Sessions begin with a lecture and readings. Following the film, a discussion and shot-by-shot analysis of key sequences will take place. We will explore cinematic properties such as storytelling and structure; innovation; classical and revisionist forms; actors and their roles; the investigation of time and space; pacing, and the depiction of good and evil. Screenings will include: The Great Train Robbery,Stagecoach, The Ox-Bow Incident, Red River, Shane, High Noon, The Searchers, 3:10 to Yuma, Cheyenne Autumn, The Man from Laramie, The Wild Bunch, The Hired Hand, Unforgiven, Open Range.Directors to be studied include: Edwin S. Porter, John Ford, William Wellman, Howard Hawks, Delmar Daves, Anthony Mann, Sam Peckinpah, Peter Fonda, Clint Eastwood, Kevin Costner.