University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 2020 People and Place: A Journey Through Film, Tourism, and Heritage Sarah Beals University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Museum Studies Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Beals, Sarah, "People and Place: A Journey Through Film, Tourism, and Heritage" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1725. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1725 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact
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[email protected]. People and Place: A Journey Through Film, Tourism, and Heritage ______________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences University of Denver ____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts ____________ by Sarah Beals August 2020 Advisor: Dr. Esteban Gomez ©Copyright by Sarah Beals 2020 All Rights Reserved Author: Sarah Beals Title: People and Place: A Journey Through Film, Tourism, and Heritage Advisor: Dr. Esteban Gomez Degree Date: August 2020 Abstract Old Tucson Studios is a theme park where film, tourism, and heritage all converge through the American Western genre. During national social change, Westerns increase in number to reflect national values and identity. Westerns that ally with landscapes and people are potentially the most powerful storytelling tool in mainstream media.