In this intensive program, pre-college students will explore theme park history, and the evolution of the relationship between moving image media (film, television, and video games) and theme parks.
n this two-week intensive program, students will explore theme park history, and the evolution of the relationship between moving image media (film, television, and video games) and theme parks. The course will examine the contexts and shared histories of theme parks and screen media, explore theoretical, industrial, and cultural issues surrounding them, and investigate how these cultural phenomena are shaping one another in today’s media landscape. The program will include lectures, screenings, discussions and guided site visits to Disneyland, Disneyland California Adventure, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Warner Brothers Studios. In class, students will study case studies of theme park rides and theme park “lands” by researching and analyzing scholarly texts, reference films, television shows, and video games. Each guided site visit will also include an on-site behind-the-scenes lecture.
Through these topics, students will be introduced to the fundamental skills of college-level academic writing, practice reading comprehension on college-level academic sources, and be challenged to practice critical thinking and observation skills through several reading and writing assignments.
Under the guidance of a working scholar, students will have the opportunity to engage their critical thinking and analytical writing skills through research and site visits. Throughout the course, students will participate in lectures, discussion, screenings, and research projects focused on their experience during site visits to major Californian theme parks. Students will develop case studies on an attraction or land from one of the site visit parks.
During the program, students will embark on four curated visits to Southern California theme parks: Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Universal Studios Hollywood and Warner Brothers Studios. Visits will be structured around guided experiences as well as required visits to select attractions and park “lands.” The required attractions/lands and will be the springboard for writing assignments and require students to connect their observations, critical media analysis, and argumentation skills to lecture concepts, assigned readings, and screenings. Students will choose specific attractions or lands as case studies for two short papers and one final paper.
These site visits allow students to have a firsthand educational experience and learn directly from the interactive aspect of theme parks. By studying the historical, cultural, industrial, and theoretical issues surrounding these spaces and attractions in-depth before encountering them, students will be well-prepared to approach these experiences from a critical and analytical perspective. Ultimately, this hands-on investigation provides students with a sense of how these interactive spaces and rides work together to create unique media experiences. While these excursions will no doubt be fun, they are first and foremost active learning experiences and sites of analysis.
UCLA Emerging Filmmakers will receive a certificate of completion at the conclusion of the program. The program does not carry college credit.
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