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Unit of study_
PHIL2658: Philosophy in Film
2021 unit information
This unit will use the screening and criticism of carefully chosen classical and contemporary films to raise important philosophical questions and to contribute to our response to them. Each film screening will be paired with a key philosophical question that is explored in the film and further investigated in class: problems of freedom, human action, democracy, crime, love, otherness, marriage, conversation, selfhood, and being human. The class will also explore some central questions in the philosophy of film.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | Philosophy |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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12 credit points at 1000 level in Philosophy or 12 credit points at 1000 level in Film Studies |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. This unit of study will introduce students to philosophical issues through their experience and reflection upon 6 films. The course will discuss different ideas of what philosophy in film might be and introduce students to the importance of Stanley Cavell’s thinking to this issue. Generically, this unit of study should help to impart new forms of understanding (especially new ways of looking at film, philosophy, and philosophy in film), enhance critical thinking skills, and facilitate the ability to speak and write clearly, rationally and succinctly.
- LO2. Read, understand and critically engage with philosophical texts both historical and contemporary.
- LO3. Identify, formulate and assess philosophical problems and demonstrate an understanding of important conceptual distinctions.
- LO4. Demonstrate disciplinary expertise in several major areas of philosophy, such as aesthetics, epistemology, ethics, the history of philosophy, logic, metaphysics, theories of the self, philosophy of science, and political philosophy.
- LO5. Express themselves precisely and demonstrate an ability to make rationally persuasive arguments.
- LO6. Demonstrate sensitivity, intellectual honesty, generosity and cultural competence in interpretation and argument.
- LO7. Effectively apply philosophical knowledge and approaches to issues encountered in an interdisciplinary context.
Unit availability
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
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