Course Schedule and Catalog

Long Title: WHO WHAT WHY IS DISNEY? A BIG QUESTIONS COURSE

Department: *Visual and Dramatic Arts*

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Language of Instruction: Taught in English

Course Type: Lecture

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course will engage students with three questions: WHO is Disney (as an artist and as an entrepreneur and creator of iconic figures and films)? WHAT is the Disney Corporation and how has it grown and evolved?WHY does the current configuration of Disney as global culture giant exist and why does it matter (in the lives of those it touches across the world, but also especially with regard to Disney's patents, copyrights and trademarks)?The course will cover the formation of Disney and its use of fairy tales and folk culture to build its narratives. It will cover the building of Disneyland and its utopian project of transforming theme parks and building a world around storytelling. It will cover the movement of Disney in the forefront of film production in the 1980s through its Touchstone imprint and through the utilization of digital animation technology. Finally, the course will discuss the current triumphal corporate world of Disney Plus, and the ownership of an immense set of copyrights, patents, and trademarks. Our current world is a triumphant one for Disney and our students will live in a culture dominated by a single corporation for the foreseeable future.