American Society and Politics in Film

Writing Prompt: What is the ideal America portrayed in the film and the readings, and how is this reflected in the idea that the United States is exceptional? In what ways does the reality fall short of this ideal? Be sure to discuss some aspect(s) of contemporary American politics in the essay -- in other words, apply what you get out of the film and reading to an analysis of American politics.   OR   Consider the following and comment on the idea that " 'America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed. That creed is set forth with dogmatic and even theological lucidity in the Declaration of Independence'...the nation's ideology can be described in five words: liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism, and laissez-faire. " (From Seymour Martin Lipset, American Exceptionalism , 1996).

David Bernell This blog has been established for the class "American Society and Politics in Film" offered through the Oregon State University Honors College, which is in the Winter term of 2023. All writing assignments, along with any additional commentary on the films we watch, will be posted here on this blog site.  All students and the instructors will need to set up a Google account if they do not already have one. Using the "Blogger" app/function in Google, you will be able to contribute to the blog and post your entries. Everyone in the class will receive an invitation to be a contributor to the blog. The site of our blog, for anyone to view, will be https://americansocandpolfilm.blogspot.com/ .  Each person will have their own entry each week for each film. This entry will be your response to the film and the writing prompt provided. You can also post comments on other people's posts.