PHIL 380 - Philosophy of Film and Photography

FC ARHU WADV

4 credits
In this course, we will engage in the philosophical study of the lens-based arts, from the earliest daguerrotypes and silent films, to the latest smartphone photographs and digital videos. We will encounter a wide range of critical perspectives, including ones from feminist film theory, philosophy of film and race, applied aesthetics, cognitive film theory, and analytic philosophy of art. The philosophical issues to be discussed include whether recorded images are inherently more realistic than hand-made images, how we engage both emotionally and imaginatively with films, how the ethical value and the aesthetic value of films can interact, how notions of medium and genre play a role in the appreciation of film and photography, and whether film and photography possess distinctive artistic resources for ideological critique. Our discussions will be informed by regular film screenings and by viewing photographs from the collection of the Allen Memorial Art Museum.

Prerequisites: two courses in PHIL.