FREN 285 - Secrets of the Past: Myths, Theater, and Popular Culture (France, USA and the Black Atlantic)

How do theatre and cinema inform the quest for social justice? Can artistic practices, actors, and products become catalysts for social change? Secrets of the Past: Myths, Theater, and Popular Culture (France, USA, and the Black Atlantic) explores how filmmakers and playwrights in France, the United States, and the Black Atlantic have used myths and/or mythological figures (Oedipus, Don Juan, the Noble Savage, etc.) to convey human experiences, question notions of power, privilege, and social (in)justice(s), and impact the world we live in. This course will introduce students to canonical works of French theatre, American cinema, and Black Atlantic theatre and cinema. Students will learn elements of storytelling, identify filmmakers' and playwrights' strategies and approaches, and consider the role of theatre and cinema in finding solutions to local and global challenges. Taught in English.