FYS 1235 - Decoding Disney

Credits: 4
The popularity of Disney children’s movies has contributed to the company’s status as a commercial juggernaut. The Oxford English Dictionary’s recognized word, “Disneyfied,” a term denoting romanticization, speaks to Disney’s impact on children’s entertainment. The movies’ accessibility through videos, DVDs as well as streaming, has created a need for the critical sociological analysis of their contents. In this first-year seminar, students will gain an understanding of how these movies play an integral role in the mediascape that shapes our understanding of topics from gender, race, and class, to colonialism and imperialism. Student presentations will explore how the identity of princesses and princes as well as heroes and villains reflects, perpetuates and influences cultural norms. A class research project about Disney movies will also introduce students to methodological issues involved in conducting research.
McDaniel Plan: First Year Seminar; Multicultural