LA Film
Hooray for Hollywood: Los Angeles, the Film Industry and the American Dream
Travel Dates: Sunday, June 15 – Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Travel to Los Angeles to experience the complex and surprising story of the city and the film industry. Explore the cultural history of LA and how that history became forever entwined with the business of making movies. Through studio, museum, and landmark visits, and conversations with working professionals in the industry, examine how our mediated image of “La La Land” matches up with reality and reflect on how a hugely diverse people converge to create culture in a unique city setting.
FILM 491: This 3-credit course is approved for General Education Creative Arts (GA) credit.
Cost Information
Cost: $2,500 (estimate). Cost includes transportation, lodging, admission fees, some meals, and tuition for 3 undergraduate credits. Credit registration information and fee schedules/deadlines published in the University timetables do not apply to this program. Financial aid may apply.
Where will I go?
We will travel by air to Los Angeles, California. Once there, we will spend several days in the heart of the city, visiting such sites as Griffith Park, Paramount Studios, the Autry Museum of the American West, Sunset Boulevard, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and more. We will meet with several guest speakers throughout the week who are working professionals drawn from a wide range of occupations in the industry.
What will I study?
Before travel, students will study key concepts in six online modules. Topics include LA before filmmaking, building a sustainable film industry, the emergence of “Hollywoodland,” Griffith Park and the American West, Classical Hollywood Cinema, studio decline and the new Hollywood, and evolving power dynamics in Hollywood and beyond. While traveling, students will keep a travel journal create a photographic essay, while exploring significant sites and scenes of Los Angeles and the film industry.
Who can come?
This course is open to all university students, or anyone else who has serious interests in these topics. Consent of instructor, Dr. Anna Hajdik, hajdika@uww.edu, is required.
Contact Us
Request permission to enroll in this course by filling out the form or contact us by:
Continuing Education Travel Study Programs Office, UW-Whitewater, Roseman 2017, 800 W. Main St Whitewater, WI 53190 | 262-472-1003 | cetravelstudy@uww.edu
