Catholic Imagination and Film

How do Catholics imagine the world? Are there characteristically Catholic ways of doing so? How do these imaginative dispositions inform Catholic living and community? This course will use readings and films to explore these questions. We will give special emphasis to examination of the sacramental and moral dimensions of Catholic imagination.
Our approach will not be limited to filmmakers who identify themselves as Catholics or who claim to treat Catholic themes. Rather, we will take a broader approach that seeks to understand Catholic imagination by examining how (and to what extent) diverse films do or do not concretize Catholic ways of imagining the world. At the same time, we will consider how Catholic imagination might significantly enrich our lives as persons from diverse religious and secular traditions.
Students should acquire an understanding of (1) central elements of a Catholic worldview including its moral dimensions (2) how this worldview can be expressed in film (3) how such expressions can form the way we make sense of and live in our world. Our goal is that, as we learn in these three areas, we will experience the challenge and enjoyment of discovering and developing our own abilities and interests.