Philosophy
and Film
Juan Camilo Espejo-Serna
Universidad de la Sabana
Plan
- Personal introductions
- Course overview
Juan Camilo Espejo Serna
PhD Philosophy
The University of Warwick
MA Philosophy of Mind
The University of Warwick
BA Philosophy
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
I usually teach Philosophical Research Methods and History and Philosophy of Science. I have also been found to teach Descartes, Hume, Philosophy of Perception, Wittgenstein, and Baby Logic.
Now it is you turn to tell us something.
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How far along in your degree are you?
- Why did you sign up for the course?
- How did you learn English?
- How many courses in English at university level have you taken?
- From what you already know or suppose, do you have any specific concerns/doubts/expectations about the course?
Answer these questions in the
"Short videos" tab in Ms Teams.
The main aim of this course is to develop language skills in academic English while at the same time studying philosophical problems through film. This merits two clarifications.
1) This is not an English class
1) This is not an English class
Our main concern will not be Shakespeare’s tongue but rather the peculiar hybrid that communities of academics around the globe speak and write in and what we will be calling ‘academic English’.
2) Philosophy through films
2) Philosophy through films
Not philosophy of art, where the topic is cinema in general; rather: any kind of philosophical point made *through* film
Our main activity will be the discussion of philosophical questions through the discussion of films.
I hope this will give those of you who are not philosophers a way into philosophy and open a different approach to those of you already familiar with philosophy.
We philosophize with the help of our community, a group of people that includes a vast philosophical tradition, our students, teachers and peers. No philosopher is an island.
Though philosophy in contemporary centres of learning tends to be done through reflection upon the written word, in this module, we will consider how specific films put forward philosophical thesis for our consideration and how philosophy can be done through them.
Our main sources for philosophical discussion will be 1) a specific film, 2) a short introductory text and 3) short audio interviews with contemporary philosophers
Any questions?
Take 2 minutes to think and make sure you've understood everything up to this point. Are you sure?
Really?