MFC6172 - Spiritualities, the Sacred and the Screen

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

(1) demonstrate systematic understanding of concepts of spirituality and the nature of the ‘sacred’ from a variety of religious, humanistic and secular sources;
(2) demonstrate systematic understanding of how such concepts inform and engage filmmakers and writers in their work;
(3) deploy and evaluate relevant concepts in the analysis of specific film texts.

Content:

The module provides an opportunity to explore a variety of religious and theoretical approaches to understanding what is meant by spirituality and the sacred in the context of film and film narrative.

The module examines the work of a variety of directors such as Angelopoulos, Bergman, Kieslowski, Kiarostami, Kubrick, Leung, Majidi, Scorsese, Spielberg, Stone, Tarkovsky. It studies how film narratives explore topics such as: what it is to be human/not human; ‘being’ – the life/death/re-birth paradigm; no greater love - agape and the erotic; the Guru and the Buddha – guides for the path; sacred space and sacred time; spirituality and the transcendent.

Learning and Teaching Information:

The scheme assumes recruitment of 30.
Learning in semester 2 will take place through workshops designed to extend skills of independent study and research.

Lectures
Contact Hours:10
Number of Groups: 1

Seminars
Contact Hours: 10
Number of Groups: 1

Workshops
Contact Hours: 10
Number of Groups 10 x 15

Assessment: