GERON 3240 - Aging in American Film

A dual approach to study gerontological issues in current cinema. The first strategy explores how the elderly have been portrayed in film and how this reflects societies attitudes of reverence and impiety toward the elderly. How film mirrors the attitudes of society are discussed. The second approach investigates how current cinema treats issues of aging, such as loss, bereavement, transcendence, reminiscence as therapy and issues of exploitation, abuse, and neglect.