Since the emergence of the popular film music soundtrack in the 1950s, popular music has been a key component in cinematic representations of the historically contingent and highly influential ideological notion of the American Dream. This course takes a music-first approach to the study of these representations, which deal with themes of social and economic mobility, (in)equality, individualism, worker solidarity, materialism, etc. We will survey major Hollywood features, independent films, biopics, and documentaries to analyze their engagement with a range of music genres, including blues, folk, country, rock, R&B, punk, new wave, and hip-hop. Central to our inquiry will be the ways American Dream soundtracks negotiate cinema’s intersections with ideology and identity; function affectively, historically, politically, and economically; and (de)construct the American Dream in relation to race, gender, class, and nationality. The coursework includes watching 10 films outside of class; 6 response papers on these films; an in-class presentation; weekly reading, viewing, and listening assignments; and discussion board engagement via Canvas. For the final project, students choose between creating and presenting a video essay, a short film, or a research paper.