I want to share a quick story about a college student who never saw a Western until she had to take a class on Westerns. As part of a critical thinking class, I had to take a film course titled " War and Westerns ." Oh boy. Up Until 1994, the only Western film I had ever seen was "Young Guns" in 1988. I don't think I purposely avoided them, but I was too much into my RKO musicals and melodramas to care. Back then - before the internet, we had to read tons of copied notes from our professor; my syllabus was as thick as the Yellow Pages. "What did I get myself into? " I asked myself. My thesis was centered around the depiction of women in war films, but that's for another post. But what happened was incredible—a new appreciation for both genres and a lifelong love for them.   I discovered that Westerns often explore similar themes, including life, love, loss, betrayal, revenge, community, and honor, amongst other things. The closest I ...