Auteur Study: Steven Spielberg

The world’s most influential living film director and the most impactful creator of

popular culture in the last quarter of the Twentieth Century is a Jewish-American. Steven

Spielberg’s uncanny grasp of visual storytelling and his auteurist signature can be found

on every film he has directed, as well as many he has produced. This course will analyze

the content and formal construction of Spielberg’s films by following their thematic

through-lines – family ties (strained and healthy), the implacable threat, humanity at war,

man vs. the natural world, the child’s perspective, Jewish identity and others – in films as

disparate as Jaws and The Color Purple.

Each class meeting will include a complete screening of a feature film directed by Steven

Spielberg, as well as clips of related films by Spielberg. Readings will include critical

essays, histories, and interviews which elaborate on in-class screenings and cover

additional topics and films. Written assignments will be three analytical essays which

will encourage critical thinking, close analysis of film texts, and independent research

beyond the materials presented in class.