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,writers and other media producers in their work;
(3) deploy and evaluate relevant concepts in the analysis of a range of contemporary media.

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 all forms of contemporary media.

The module examines ideas of the spiritual quest present in movies, novels, television drama, comedy, music, computer games etc. It explores how such narratives explore the spiritual quest through topics such as what it is to be human/not human; being - the life/death/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:

Lectures
Student contact Hours:14
Intended group size: 30

Seminars/workshops
Student contact Hours: 22
Intended group size: 15

Guided Independant study
Total student hours: 164

Assessment: