This course will examine the role of Tamil cinema, its impacts, and its representation in the everyday life of Tamil societies. Cinema has become an integral part of the politics and social life of people in Tamil societies across the globe. It is shaping, affecting and influencing every part of the public life. Cinema as form of public culture shapes and impacts the modern life of Tamil societies. In this class, we will look at the links between public culture and the medium of cinema: How does cinema become the visual culture through which certain notions of culture, justice, politics, community and nations are circulated, created, and negotiated? Are the audience passive receivers of the visual culture or active participants? How do larger political, social, and economic forces interplay within the medium of cinema among Tamils in South Asia and in various Tamil diaspora? This course introduces important conceptual and ethnographic tools to critically engage with and understand Global Tamil cinema, its themes around contemporary Global Tamil societies, politics and culture, and its impact on the daily life of people. We will use conceptual tools, the medium of cinema, and other readings to critically understand and unpack Tamil societies and their contemporary issues through visual mediums.