Introduction to philosophy of film

Aims of the course:

1. To give students an understanding of key philosophical issues concerning film
2. To enable students to develop their own philosophical ideas on the topics covered
3. To show students how an understanding of philosophical problems can enhance everyday engagement with films

Course content overview:

This course will use five case studies to engage students in philosophical issues concerning film. The topics to be covered are: Film, Fiction and Representation; Morality, Immorality and Imagination; Understanding the Impossible; Fate and Freedom in Film, and Emotional Engagement.

Films to be discussed:

Netherland Dwarf (David Michôd, 2008)

Let The Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993)

Macbeth (Roman Polanski, 1971)

Rocky (Sylvester Stallone, 1976)

Schedule (this course is completed entirely online):

Orientation Week: 9-15 January 2017

Teaching Weeks: 16 January-19 February 2017

Feedback Week: 20-26 February 2017

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards,etc).

A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.

Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language in order to get the maximum benefit from the course.