TRS 338A Religion and Ethics on Film

Over the past century film has established itself as an influential medium of artistic expression, social commentary and cultural formation. This course will explore a number of questions surrounding the nexus of film, ethics, and religion. How do films convey ethical messages regarding their subjects? How do they convey religious meanings? What distinctive possibilities does cinema offer for exploring or analyzing religious questions and phenomena? Can films "do theology?" How has the development of modern ethical sensibilities been bound up with visual media? Is it appropriate to make ethical assessments of artistic products such as films? How is the sort of experience involved in watching films related to religious experience? What does how the public responds to given films say about the ethical or religious climate of a society?

Credits

3

Prerequisite

TRS 201 or TRS 201H or HSTR 101