Voting Counts: Elections in Film

Politics and elections have become entertainment. At times, it’s difficult to separate the political arena on screen from daily life. 

Many films chronicle the struggles to vote, campaigns to earn votes, the use of media and propaganda to win majorities, dual threats of corruption and voter manipulation. 

Amid the leadup to this November’s midterm elections, this course will take a look at how voting and elections in the United States are depicted on screen. We will ask: do these films inspire viewers to vote? To trust elections? To understand the consequences of elections? Do they pull back the curtain on the campaign as strategic operation? Or, do movies encourage the public to become jaded, disinterested, or apathetic? How much have cinematic depiction and real-world election campaigning become blurred? 

Join us to assess, debate, and reflect on films that, at the end of the day, recognize the significance of our right to vote and the ramifications of our voting. 

This course will meet on six Tuesdays from 10:00 am - 1:15 pm. Dates are 9/15 - 10/13 and 10/27 with no class on 10/20.

Classes are only available for purchase as a package, not as individual sessions. 

About Judi Freeman: 

Judi Freeman is a historian and educator, the author of 10 books and numerous articles. For much of her career, Ms. Freeman was an art museum curator and educator, specializing in modern art, at museums from the National Gallery of Art to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and a secondary educator, teaching 20th-21st century history, most notably over 24 years as the Seevak Chair in History at Boston Latin School. With degrees from Vassar, Johns Hopkins, Yale, and Tufts universities, Ms. Freeman has integrated the history of film into much of her work. She is currently at work on a new biography of legendary American foreign correspondent and columnist Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961) and currently serves as the Executive Director of the World History Association.