ATS3323 Stardom and celebrity on screen

Since the early 20th century film stars have been a central feature of cinema, offering highly popular and influential representations of selfhood. Stars appear in magazines, on billboards, on television programmes, and now have a strong presence on the internet. The importance of stars stems from their economic function within screen industries, their contributions to the meanings and affects of films, and their ideological role in defining and shaping popular conceptions of identity in societies at particular points in time. This unit will offer an intensive survey of the star phenomenon, combining theoretical work derived from the fields of star studies and celebrity studies with focused analyses of specific films and stars. Topics covered will include the history of stardom from the silent 'gods and goddesses' to contemporary television stars and celebrity culture; the ideological role of stars in circulating and revealing dominant attitudes to class, gender, sexuality and race/ethnicity; and the cultural and national specificities of stardom through case studies of stars from around the world.