Philosophy of Film
Seminar in the Problems of
Philosophy
Philosophy 75.1, 4 credits
Professor Seeley
Spring 2004
Movies
are fictional constructions about often quite fantastical events. Why is the experience of watching these
movies like a real life experience? Why
are we frightened of Freddy Krueger? Why
do we find the life of the main character in a science fiction film
compelling? And why, if you are like me,
do we cry at the end of movies like "Field of Dreams"?
In
this course we will examine several philosophical problems surrounding film as
both a form of fine art and a medium of popular entertainment. What makes film a unique artform? How are movies different from television and
documentaries? How do films convey an
illusion of reality in the theater? What
is the basis for our emotional interactions with characters. The course will take a cognitivist
approach. Cognitivist theories attempt
to explain film as an extension of ordinary perceptual and emotional
experiences. But this is not the only
approach to the philosophy of film, and over the course of the semester, we
will also discuss the differences between cognitivist, Marxist, psychoanalytic,
and semiotic theories of film.
The
requirements of this course include 1 credit of independent work on your
part. Films must be experienced to be
understood, and the philosophy of film is about these experiences. This means that you have to go to the
movies. Coursework will include, in
addition to classroom work, critical evaluations of two films you will screen
outside of class, one of which will serve as your final paper.