PHIL 381.001 – Philosophy and Film

Instructor: Alan Nelson. This course meets M 3:35 – 6:05 p.m. in CW 105.

In this course you will learn to appreciate and analyze films from a philosophical perspective. The main texts will be the films themselves, but
there will also be some short readings available online. Films by Akerman, Antonioni, Kurosawa, Nolan, Soderbergh, Tarkovsky, Von Trier, etc. will be viewed. Some of these films can be streamed, but the default will be for you to view them in the Media and Design Center on campus. We will concentrate on such themes as memory and identity; romantic love; scientific vs. humanistic ways of knowing; and the search for meaning.

Prerequisite: 1 PHIL course.