Cultural change is constant, yet the pace of change significantly accelerates during certain periods. How do people try to preserve, celebrate, and revive their cultural identity in the face of rapid change? How do they navigate change when they migrate? Can the past serve as a guidepost to new futures?

Join us for a voyage of cultural discovery through global feature films that explore these powerful themes of memory and revival. This nine-week class will focus on eight films loosely grouped by topic:

1. Daughters of the Dust (Sea Islands, US, Georgia)
2. The Embrace of the Serpent (S. America/Amazon)
3. Tanna (S. Pacific Vanuatu)
4. The Cold War (Poland)
5. The Namesake (India and US)
6. The Farewell (China)
7. Black Panther (Africa-future)
8. Song Sung Blue (US mid-west)

Format: Class members will screen the films at home and are encouraged to volunteer to lead an hour of class either by offering a preview of a film before screening or facilitating a discussion of the film after we have viewed it. We will create a warm and inclusive environment for engaged learning and discussion.

Resources/Expenses: Films for the course are available on multiple screening platforms. Depending on your subscriptions you may incur a rental cost or two. Supplementary readings/materials will be available by links in the syllabus.

Donna Kerner has been a member of LLC since 2022. She has coordinated a number of courses such as The Social Life of Objects, Being Human, It’s About Time, and Anthropology Goes to the Movies Parts 1 and 2. She is a social anthropologist by profession and a life-long lover of film.

Photo credit: Geoffrey Moffett | Unsplash