Jesus on the Silver Screen

Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Critically engage with film as a dynamic tool for theological reflection and social commentary.
2. Articulate how films may offer expression to their understanding of their Christology
3. Identify the social, cultural and theological sources that inform cinematic expressions of Christ.
4. Critique the biblical, theological and cultural motifs that inform their interpretations of the images of Christ presented in film.

Undergraduate

• Critical review (1,000 words) (20%)
• Report (1,500 words) (30%)
• Essay (2,500 words) (50%)

Postgraduate

• Supervised Reading Unit

Set texts recommended for purchase are highlighted in blue

• Mitchell, Jolyon, and S. Brent Plate, eds. The Religion and Film Reader. New York: Routledge, 2007.
• Lyden, John C. Film as Religion: Myths, Morals and Rituals. New York: New York University Press, 2003.
• Anker, Roy. Catching Light: Looking for God in the Movies. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004.
• Ferrell, William K. Literature and Film as Modern Mythology. Westport: Praeger, 2000.
• Fraser, Peter. Images of the Passion: The Sacramental Mode in Film. Trowbridge: Flicks Books, 1998.
• Stone, Bryan P., Faith and Film. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2000.
• Tatum, W. Barnes. Jesus at the Movies: A Guide to the First Hundred Years. California: Poleridge Press, 1997.
• Brinkman, Martien E. Jesus Incognito: The Hidden Christ in Western Art Since 1960. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2013.
• Kärkkäinen, Veli-Matti. Christology: A Global Introduction. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003.