This course analyzes media images from the broad spectrum of the industry (Hollywood cinema, independent film, news media, etc.) in order to reflect on how these images shape people's ideas about race, class, and ethnicity. Our analysis highlights and critiques diverse images from the perspectives of social and political significance, stylistic influences, and cultural history. A wide range of film and video is screened and discussed. We first examine the portrayal of people of color in mainstream movies, contemporary and classic. We then discuss the development of independent filmmaking in communities of color, especially African-American, Asian-American, and Latino. We focus on the ways independent filmmakers of color have represented their own identities and experiences in and through the media they have created. How do their images differ from those in the dominant media? What influence do their images have in their own communities and in the dominant community?