LI 397 - L.A. Stories

Credits: 4 credits

Los Angeles enjoys a uniquely mythic status among American cities, one that writers and filmmakers-including Nathanael West, Joan Didion, Anna Deavere Smith, Gregory Nava, Sandra Tsing Loh, and many others-have long felt inspired to explore. By reading, viewing, and then analyzing a range of narrative representations of life in the city, students develop a deeper understanding of the ways such works impart a sense of place, as well as other aesthetic, emotional, and moral themes that inform our understanding of Los Angeles. Students enhance their critical thinking, research, and writing skills, and will get to know and better appreciate a city that, for the semester at least, they have decided to call home.

Note(s): Offered through the Los Angeles Program only.