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Purpose: To study the works of novelists and filmmakers whose imagery, narratives, and moral sensibility reflect a unique Catholic worldview.  This course will explore theological themes, symbols, motiffs, and images through screenings of American and foreign films, as well as readings in literature.

Philosophy: "Go forth now along the roads of the world, along the pathways of humanity, while remaining ever united in Christ's Church. Continue to contemplate God's glory and God's love, and you will receive the enlightenment needed to build the civilization of love, to help our brothers and sisters to see the world transfigured by God's eternal wisdom and love" (Pope John Paul II).

The "real world" is the human universe that has been redeemed and transformed by the atoning death of the Son of God. The Church is not "here" and the "real world" there; the story of the Church is the world's story, rightly understood. This belief is what grounds the public ministry of our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, and directs his attention, as teacher and witness, to the realm of culture: that dimension of the human universe in which the self-understanding of individuals and peoples is formed and is transmitted to new generations. Because the Church is first and foremost evangelical, the Church must, in this post-Christian epoch, be the evangelizer of cultures.

Required Textbooks:  

Format: Readings, film screenings, discussion, lectures, seminars, field trips.  Students are required to analyze films viewed in class, give oral presentations, compose papers, and write critical essays.

Content: Exploration of the Catholic ideas of sacramentality (the presence of the sacred within the profane), mediation (God works in our lives through specific people and things), communion (salvation depends upon belonging to a community), and redemption (liberation from sin to a new life of freedom and grace through the sacrificial death of a Redeemer) found in the films of Alfred Hitchcock, Luis Bunuel, Federico Fellini, Martin Scorsese, Brian DePalma, John Ford, Francis Ford Coppola, Frank Capra, and the writings of Jon Hassler, Flannery O’Connor, Walker Percy, J.R. Tolkien, Joyce Kilmer, Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, John Powers, Sigrid Undset, G.K. Chesterton, Ralph McInerney, George Bernanos, and William Barrett.

Course Objectives:  The following are the instructor's goals for students in the course and serve as the foundation of an ongoing process:

  1. To introduce students to several of the major categories / themes of theological inquiry through the medium of film and literature.
  2. To explore with students the film content (and, to a limited extent, film style / technique) in terms of the theological implications of plot, symbols, character development, values, and underlying or explicit religious themes / traditions.
  3. To achieve the above objectives through open discussion and critiques, using selected short readings from religious studies and websites to introduce most of the films.
  4. To encourage students to consider the various interpretations of reality ("that willing suspension of unbelief") as presented in films.
  5. To elicit from the student possible solutions to a moral dilemma and their evaluation of a character's ethical decision as well as the wider implications of a particular moral-ethical position through your developing receptivity, critical reason, research skills, etc.
  6. To encourage the student to perceive the study of Catholic theology as a speculative, creative, and academic enterprise within the body of the Church.
  7. To demonstrate through discussion of examples within films, or from the student's own experience, opportunities to recognize the Incarnational principle in action:  that is, the world as the theater of Divine activity.
  8. To demonstrate through our study of the "Catholic imagination," that the Catholic Church is the conserver of authentic culture.  
  9. To demonstrate that the best way to develop one's intellectual gifts is through a liberal education (which includes the arts), by which one may learn to know and love the Truth. In this way both the mind and the soul may be ordered toward the Way, the Truth and the Life who is Christ, our Lord and our God, our beginning and our end.

Assignments:

Graded Assignments:

Oral Presentation: Each work group will research and give a presentation on an assigned film. The presentation will be scheduled for a designated date and should be approximately 30 minutes in length. Think of the project as you would the design of a paper. Have a clear focus or thesis statement, and discuss elements of the film that support your thesis. Select a theological thematically interesting or compelling aspect of the film and relate the symbolism, narrative structure, and/or character development to your chosen thematic focus. Other aspects of the film may be included, such as cinematic techniques. You may also show a film clip of 5-6 minutes to demonstrate or highlight a concept in your presentation, making the total presentation a maximum of 30 minutes.

Work Group Project:  A team comprised of two member (no more than three) are to complete two projects for each semester:  Film as Sacrament project (due at the end of quarters one and three), and Modern Christ Figures in Film (due at the end of quarters two and four).  Guidelines for each of these projects will be distributed by the instructor.

Critiques: Two to three pages, typed, double-spaced, Arial or Verdana font.  Critiques are due on the designated dates. The instructor will provide a focus question for each critique on the day of the screening (see also the writing prompts for these critical essays).   Students might want to view the film a second time at home before submitting the critique.

Critical/Analytical Paper: Early in the course, begin to develop a topic within the sphere of religion and film that is deeply interesting or challenging to you. Narrow the topic appropriately and research it, utilizing the resources provided by the instructor.  Write a critical paper in which you analyze a film in relation to the theological/ religious/existential themes and related issues (or a dimension thereof). Keep in mind that the themes in the films studied need not be expressly religious in order to qualify as suitable material.  In regard to any topic, you must take a critical, analytical approach based on formal research combined with your own insights, knowledge, and observations. The length of the paper should be six-to-ten pages (typed/double spaced), and the paper should follow the MLA style for format and parenthetical documentation. Include a complete bibliography (books) in addition to works cited (other sources of information).  The due date of this paper will be designated by the instructor.

Grading: The final grade for the course will be based on the student’s performance in the following areas: oral presentation (20%); research paper (20%); critiques (20%),  tests (20%), and work group projects (20%).

Plagiarism: Academic honesty is essential and will be penalized by the instructor's refusal to accept a paper that is plagiarized; a failing grade in the course may also be assigned. The rules governing academic honesty will be fully explained in class, in particular, paraphrasing, quoting, and documenting published material as well as group participation.

Materials Required for Class

Films for Final Paper:

The following are films from which you are to select a theological aspect / theme for study.  The films viewed in class are not eligible for the oral presentation and your final paper. Please see me if you have a favorite film you wish to research.

Examples of Themes or Categories in Theology and Film:

Healing/death and dying:

Reconciliation (or the absence thereof):

Violence vs. Non-violence ( with the context of structural evil ):

Suffering and Compassion:

Social Justice / Injustice:

Apocalypticism:

Copyright (c) 2003.  All rights reserved:  Fr. Ronald M. Vierling.