MDST 3650

Such a genuinely fun and interesting class; Little brings so many interesting ideas to the table, and has made a Westerns fan out of me. While most of the films within the class are explicitly Western, there are some that diverge from the genre a bit if you're looking for that relief, and the ideas of the class expand way beyond just the genre into American politics and the world of film as a whole. You submit a discussion post a week, and write two essays, all of which is fairly graded, and class-time is usually discussions of films and readings related to the movies we watch. Could not recommend enough.

This was an absolutely life-changing course for me. If you think the Western is an antiquated genre that is only worth observing as a historical artifact, prepare to see the striking influence of the genre and its ideals on film and America today. Professor Little takes students to the very origins of American cinema, considering the "parallel tracks" of development of the railroad and the camera to show how embedded the Western is in the DNA of Hollywood. We map out the Western's evolution across the development of industrial capitalism and consider how its politics differ between the classical era and the modern revisionary movement. Professor Little believes it is the "most political genre" so there are ties to the present day that feel appropriate given how politicians, tech CEOs, etc. draw on its mythos to build their "brand" (think branding cows).

This is just one of the many rabbit holes we go down in the best learning environment I have been a part of. Professor Little is extremely validating and attentive to student comments and loves to pursue our thoughts to places you would never expect to end up. I cannot count the amount of "woah" moments where my mind has been blown by one of his insights, and he likewise is often wowed by students and freaks out over how good a point is, which really shows his passion for the material. There is so much more to this course than the Western. I simultaneously gained a ton of appreciation for the genre and found so many different ways to look at life. This really is one of those rare dream classes that make this whole education thing you invest so much in feel worthwhile.

This class was challenging, but SO enjoyable! Little's passion is intoxicating, and while some of the films on this list may surprising, there's a throughline to all of them that may not be obvious at the start. Although it's not essential to read everything closely, doing all of the readings is essential because that's the whole point of the class. If you're just watching the films, you're missing out on some amazing connections. Our discussions were amazing because we had the time to drill down, and the papers were actually fun to write because of how detailed Little gets into it. He loves to talk about the class and anything else. Highly recommend!!

This is my first class with Professor Little, but I'm taking another one with him in Spring 2019 because of how much I enjoyed the course. Little has a passion for the material that he teaches, and my favorite part about this course is how he ties this material (the film and readings) to what happens outside the classroom, in the rest of the world. This course will teach not just how to read the Western, but how to read the United States, as well. The readings aren't always the most interesting, and he requires engagement both in the classroom and on weekly blog posts, but as long as you do the work and participate, you'll do well. Two papers of about 7 or 8 pages each, though he will allow you to do a creative final project (ex, a short story or a short film script) as long as you explain in a paper how it relates to the course. I cannot recommend this class highly enough.

Professor Little is my favorite professor at UVA. He is the epitome of why a liberal arts education is worthwhile and ties every film in the course to other disciplines and current events. This course should be on every student's "must take" list.

Little is my favorite media studies professor. He is truly great and cares about what everyone has to say. You can tell he really loves teaching his classes and puts a lot of time into it. He makes you want to be interested in the topic. It is pretty straight forward a movie and two short readings a week, very doable and light reading compared to some of the other media studies classes. #tcf2016

By far one of the best media studies classes ever- Professor Little goes out of his way to make sure the readings/films are relevant (not just to the Western genre but to our history/culture/social studies as well. EXTREMELY interesting class debates, a lot having to do with race and socio-economic conditions. Very very interesting and creative- strongly recommend because it pushes you to think outside your box. Professor Little is a very fair and intriguing professor as well, one (if not my top) favorite professor here in the MDST department, as well as UVA. #tcf2016

This is NOT a "cool film class" that you tell everyone to take. Yeah you watch movies, but it will be on your own time. Readings are long and specific. Honestly would not recommend this class if you are not really interested in film and a Media Studies major. Take a cool history class at the 3000-level instead or something with Bruce Williams.