Scribner Seminar Program
Course Description
Truth and Value in Cinema
Instructor(s): William Lewis, Philosophy and Religion
Description: Is it possible to represent reality objectively through film? What is
the difference between art and propaganda in film? Do films more often reflect societal
values and norms actively shape them? In this seminar, we explore these questions
and others using the tools of aesthetics, political philosophy, and film criticism.
Through these examinations, students will learn to self-critically evaluate their
own assumptions and understandings about film and the role film plays in mediating
truth and value in their own lives and in society writ large.
Course Offered