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Canyon College

online Christianity and Film course at Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: Christianity and Film


Course Title:
Department:
Instructor:
Prerequisites:
TH450 - Christianity and Film
Theology
Dona Williams, MTh, BS, E-Mail Vita
None


PURPOSE OF THE COURSE
The main purpose of this course is to explore how Christianity has been expressed in Film. Other areas of study in this course will be to contemplate how film has impacted our view of Christianity, how different generational directors/writers viewed Christianity, and if there are general cinematic themes between Christianity being portrayed in film.

DOCTRINAL STATMENT
Canyon College is a non-sectarian, non-denominational school committed to the study of God in all the richness and diversity of God's revelations to humanity and an exploration of what those revelations mean to the everyday lives of finite human beings. Canyon College does not advocate any particular belief, creed, doctrine or idea other than the reality of God and does not require that its students and faculty subscribe to any particular belief, creed, doctrine or idea other than a willingness to be challenged and a commitment to an investigation into truth and the pursuit of academic honesty and excellence.

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE
Students should strive to use inclusive language in their writings. By inclusive language is meant language that is not gender specific and which attempts to include as many people as possible. For instance, instead of writing that "God wills that every man obeys His will," inclusive language would require us to write, "God wills that everyone obeys God’s will."

REQUIREMENTS

1. Films. The required films are at: Online Bookstore, local libraries, and video stores
- Look at each week’s class to see Movie Titles


2. Conferences. Students may schedule no more than two Internet conferences between the student and the professor. These should be scheduled as necessary by the student. Of course, students may ask questions of the professor at any time by sending an E-mail to the address at the link above or by posting them to the message board.

3. Exams. There are no exams for this course

4. Papers. There will be a short paper of at least one single-spaced pages or 650 words (not counting end-notes and bibliography), due at the end of each week’s readings in which students will answer the discussion questions and give a reaction to the Films they watch. There will also be a final paper that will be at least 3 single–spaced pages on a topic the students may choose from found in week 6. These papers are to be e-mailed to the professor. Papers should conform to the form and style outlined in Kate L. Turabian’s "A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations," 6th ed. Students should use endnotes instead of footnotes. Finally, the papers are intended to be reflection papers and not research or the “film said" papers. Students should indicate their understanding of the films and this cannot be done merely by quoting the actors.

5. Grades. Course work will be weighted as follows:

Papers
Final Paper
60%
40%

6. Grading Scale.

90-100%
80-89%
70-79%
60-69%
59% or below
A - Excellent
B - Above Average
C - Average
D - Below Average
F - Failing Grade

A = Clearly stands out as excellent performance. Has unusually sharp insight into material and initiates thoughtful questions. Sees many sides of an issue. Articulates well and writes logically and clearly. Integrates ideas previously learned from this and other disciplines. Anticipates next steps in progression of ideas.

B = Grasps subject matter at a level considered to be good to very good. Is an active listener and participant in chats, message boards, e-mails and conferences. Speaks and writes well. Accomplishes more than the minimum requirements. Work is of high quality.

C = Demonstrates a satisfactory comprehension of the subject matter. Accomplishes only the minimum requirements, and displays little or no initiative. Communicates at an acceptable level for a college student. Has a generally acceptable understanding of all basic concepts.

D = Quality and quantity of work is below average and barely acceptable.

F = Quality and quantity of work is unacceptable.



WEEK 1 (Jesus in the Movies, part 1)


View Films: “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” 1965
“Jesus of Nazareth,” 1977
“The Jesus Film,” 1999

Discussion Questions:
  1. Name the cameo stars in the “Greatest Story Ever Told” (example: who is the soldier at the Cross?). Did having an all-star cast make the movie better?
  2. What were the differences in all three movies? Give specifics.
  3. What were the similarities in all three movies? Give specifics.


WEEK 2 (Jesus in the Movies, part 2)


View Films: “Jesus Christ Superstar,” 1973
“The Life of Brian,” 1979
“The Last Temptation of Christ,” 1988

Discussion Questions:
  1. How is “Jesus Christ Superstar” a great example of Counter Culture and the Jesus People of the late 60s and early 70s? If you are uncertain, schedule an appointment with me so we can discuss it.
  2. Is “The Life of Brian” sacrilegious? Is humor appropriate when considering the person of Jesus? Who did Brian say he really was?
  3. Are there one or many paradoxes in “The Last Temptation of Christ,” how many in total? Name them.
  4. Are these directors/writers reacting to their time-period or are they sharing their own views in all three movies? (You can either research this or simply use your own opinion by what you know of the time period they were filmed and what you saw in the movie)


WEEK 3 (Early Christianity)


View Films: “The Robe,” 1953
“Peter and Paul,” with Anthony Hopkins
“St John in Exile,” 2001

Discussion Questions:
  1. Is the movie “The Robe” about redemption? If so, for who and how was it accomplished? Give specific examples.
  2. How closely does “Peter and Paul” hold to the biblical narratives (Gospels, Acts, etc)?
  3. How has technology and modernity influenced the cinematography of “St John in Exile?”


WEEK 4 (Middle Ages and Christianity)


View Films: “The Messenger,” 1999
“The Rose,” with Sean Connery
“BraveHeart,” 1995

Discussion Questions:
  1. What is “The Messenger” saying about good and evil and how humans discern them both? Give specific examples.
  2. What are the names of the villains in “The Rose?” On what basis do you consider them villains?
  3. How many times does William Wallace refer to, interact with, or give patronage to God/Christ in the movie? Are there any other key characters that share his Christian ethic?
  4. What is the main theme in similar between all three movies?


WEEK 5 (Modern Christianity)


View Films: “Friendly Persuasions,” 1956 with Gary Cooper
“The Apostle,” 1998 with Duvall
“The Hiding Place,” 1999
“The Shadow Lands,” with Anthony Hopkins

Discussion Questions:
  1. How does “Friendly Persuasions” portray Quakers? Give examples.
  2. Is “The Apostle” about one man’s spiritual journey, is it about Pentecostal culture, or is it about both? Give examples.
  3. “The Hiding Place” is a powerful book brought to the cinema, what is the movie saying about Christianity as a whole during the war? Are there any specific Christian groups that are being mentioned? Give examples.
  4. “The Shadow Lands” is in small part a biography of the great Christian author C.S. Lewis. Who did Lewis socialize with (any other famous writers)? What is this movie saying about grief and second chances? Give examples.


Choose a Final Paper Topic by this week. Look at Week 6 for paper topics.

WEEK 6 (The Nature of Humanity)


View Films: “End of Days,” 1999
“Left Behind Part 1,” 2001
“A Thief in the Night,” 1972

Discussion Questions:
  1. What are the specific similarities between all three movies (site characters, lines, and plot segments you are referring to)?
  2. How closely does each movie follow the book of Revelation? Give specific examples of verses and movie lines/plot segments.
  3. Which was your favorite and why?


Final Paper topics (pick one) to be finished by the end of the week.
  1. Watch the movie “Stigmata,” 1999 and discuss the implications the movie is making about the stigmata and how the Catholic Church, in the movie, responds to the implications.

  2. Discuss the parallels between “The Stand” by Steven King and the book of Revelation. Give specific examples of both verses and movie lines/plot segments.

  3. How is the animated movie “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” written by C.S. Lewis, a good analogy for children when teaching Christian doctrines? Give specific examples of both verses and movie lines/plot segments.

  4. In the 2002 movie “A Walk to Remember,” what is the movie saying about growing up as a Christian? What are the difficulties specifically seen within the movie? Is this more of a secular movie than a Christian Movie, why or why not?

  5. What Judeo-Christian similarities can be seen in the movie “The Matrix?” Is this movie an analogy of redemption or salvation? Does this movie have anything in common with the birth of Christ? Are these all hindsight questions or are they questions you believe the director/writer wanted to be asked?

  6. Compare Bing Crosby and Whoopi Goldberg in their roles as a priest and a nun. What were their similar themes in “Sister Act” and “The Bells of St Mary’s?” Give specifics.