FYS 75 Disneyland and Los Angeles
This course will trace the complex dialogue between Disneyland Park and its urban environment of greater Los Angeles, with a particular emphasis on the 1955-1967 period, carefully analyzing urban and social history, film, and literature to discover what Disneyland can teach us about the strange, sprawling geography and culture of the megalopolis around it. Along the way, we will become familiar with the increasingly robust interdisciplinary scholarly discourse about Disney culture. Finally, we will explore the ways contemporary critical theoretical concepts apply to Disneyland and how our understanding of this specific place might revise our broader theoretical conceptions of urbanism, history, and modern society.
Prerequisite
Open only to first year frosh