Topic: Science in Film
| Time | Days | Location | Instructor | GER | Credit | OPUS Class Number | Syllabus (Tentative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2:30pm-3:45pm | TuTh | Math & Science Center - N301 | Sidney Perkowitz. | FSEM. | 4 | 12889 | TBA. |
The Matrix, War of the Worlds, The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, An Inconvenient Truth: these and other films with science-based themes have had a huge impact on society, cinema, and science. This course explores how science and scientists are portrayed in movies that exaggerate and exploit fears of rampaging aliens, melting icecaps, or runaway viruses, and in movies that offer sober and scrupulous treatments. We'll look mostly at sci-fi films, and also at scientist biopics and science documentaries. We'll examine their cinematic and scientific context to understand how and why these films use science, and how they shape popular perceptions of science, the universe, and ourselves.
Mandatory Film Screening every WED 6:00PM - 8:00 PM
Students are required to attend a two-hour evening film screening each week on Wednesdays from 6:00-8:00 PM. Also required: class discussion, movie journals, two short papers and a final exam.
Required Textbooks, Articles, and Resources
- Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film. ISBN: 978-0-8135-2492-4.
- Hollywood Science: Movies, Science, and the End of the World. ISBN: 978-0-231-14281-6.
The schedule of courses on O.P.U.S. is the official listing of courses, including days and times they meet and the General Education Requirements they satisfy. Students should use course descriptions as general guidelines. Course requirements, grading details, book lists, and syllabi are subject to change.