Trump Media: A Film Studies Syllabus

Dr. Dan Hassler-Forest’s series on films that shed light on the election of Donald Trump in the U.S., including historical, political, socioeconomic, and theoretical perspectives.

“I started seeking out films that I felt might offer some insight, inspiration, or critical reflection of a world that has suddenly gone from challenging to terrifying. Starting (predictably) with some movies about the civil rights movement, I then started thinking about movies that resonated with other aspects of our current predicament, and ended up posting a list of about a dozen films on Facebook as a “recommended movie list.” Before long, other people’s additions started rolling in, as did further ideas of my own. Finally, one friend’s suggestion to work out this list as “a more formal syllabus” was all the encouragement I needed to sit down and spend an evening expanding that original list into a thematically organized film program. So here is a first version of part I, on Populism and Politics.”

Part I: Populism and Politics: https://danhf.wordpress.com/2016/11/12/trump-media-a-film-studies-syllabus-i/

Part II: Commercializing Media: https://danhf.wordpress.com/2016/11/14/trump-media-a-film-studies-syllabus-ii/

Part III: Popular Fascism: https://danhf.wordpress.com/2016/11/15/trump-media-a-film-studies-syllabus-iii/

Part IV: Race, Civil Rights, and White Supremacy: https://danhf.wordpress.com/2016/11/19/trump-media-a-film-studies-syllabus-iv/

Part V: America 2.0: The Uncivil Society https://danhf.wordpress.com/2016/11/22/trump-media-a-film-studies-syllabus-v/

Keywords: analysis, class, history, media inclusion 101, people of color, race, representation