JWST 243 - From Borscht Belt to Borat: Jews in American Popular Culture

Jews have held a central place in Hollywood and American popular culture. This ranges from early Hollywood moguls including Louis B. Mayer and Samuel Goldwyn to contemporary film executives and filmmakers including Amy Heckerling, Stephen Spielberg and Joel Silver. And it extends from early and mid-century comedians such as Milton Berle, Carl Reiner, and Joan Rivers, to more contemporary comics like Larry David, Amy Schumer, Judd Apatow, Sarah Silverman, and Nathan Fielder. How did this come to be? How has a relatively small minority, making up less than 3% of the U.S. population, occupied such an outsized role in American culture? A range of media, including theatrical performances; radio; early and contemporary film and television; home movies; stand-up comedy; popular music; and new media, sheds light on how Jews have navigated their outsider, minority position within the United States, all the while occupying places at center stage in certain sectors of American popular culture. That speaks to the ways in which American Jews have been positioned (and positioned themselves) as being “White” and/or “Other.” At the center of this class are fundamental questions about the historical and political stakes of representing ethnic, racial, religious, and other minority groups.

Credits: 1
Corequisite: JWST 243L
Prerequisites: None
Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: None
Area of Inquiry: None
Liberal Arts Practices: Artistic Practice and Interpretation
Core Component: None

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