This class investigates the Disney entertainment empire’s history, products, structure, and business practices. The focus is both specific (on Disney itself) and more general (on Disney’s connection with the history of the transnational media corporation, the global economy, and the history of animation and theme parks).

By the end of the semester, students should be able:

• to identify and describe the key characteristics of the “Disney aesthetic,” the Disney worldview, and the Disney corporate culture
• to compare original folk tales and the Disney version
• to employ different research methods (textual analysis, qualitative and quantitative audience research, fieldwork) to research Disney texts and their reception  
• to identify various theories on the rise and challenge of Disney power globally
• to evaluate the dynamics of globalization and localization in relation to the case of Disney