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Ethics at the movies, ethics in movies: world-views, values and decision-making on and off screen CERA 4022 3 units Starr King School for the Ministry – Graduate Theological Union Spring 2015

"Teaching art is teaching morals” Iris Murdoch

Prof. Gabriella Lettini, Ph.D. [email protected] 510-549-4714 Office hours: By appointment. Please e-mail my assistant Chris Schelin ([email protected]), subject line “Ethics in Movies Meeting Request.” Because of my administrative duties as dean please schedule meetings at least a week in advance.

DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES

Through narratives, images and sound movies embody the complex, implicit and explicit values and decision-making processes that are part of the lives of individuals and communities. They are also the expressions of particular worldviews and the fruit of complex artistic, technical and economic decisions with deep ethical implications. This course will discuss movies as an important source for the academic study of ethics and offer tools for critical readings of the ethics of films. The movies chosen will focus on the interconnection of issues such as race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexualities, colonialism, class, economics, abilities, and religious and cultural diversity. Movies from underrepresented minorities and international movies will be preferred. The use of movies in community settings for theological and ethical reflection and grassroots activism will also be explored. Readings from the fields of ethics, theology and film studies. Introductory classes in ethics preferred. Class limited to 15 people: please write to instructor introducing yourself and motivating your reasons for taking the class.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

The goals of this course are: - to deepen one’s knowledge of different ethical perspectives, presenting a variety of voices; - to deepen one’s ability to engage movies critically while also learning to engage them as serious sources for ethics, spirituality, theology and justice-making; - to engage in a critical discussion of philosophical and religious approaches to ethics; - to introduce key terms and definitions and learn how to use in our own discussions and writing; - to explore different sources used in ethical discernment and discuss ethical models and 2 perspectives; - to understand the importance of social location in shaping ethical stances; - to introduce new liberating approaches to ethics, using sources traditionally disregarded or underrepresented; - to explore the connection between imagination, ethics, spirituality, social justice and the arts; - to improve media literacy; - to explore different ways of using movies in community settings; - to discuss and assess ethical models; - to promote articulation and critical examination of one’s ethical stances and their sources; - to develop strategies to counter oppressions and build just and sustainable communities, in line with SKSM educational commitment (please read: http://www.sksm.edu/about/educational_philosophy.php). - to integrate theory and praxis, theology and ethics, scholarship and ministry; - to create a community of learners and seekers, using our experiences of being in this class as a primary source of learning.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Through this course students will:

- deepen their understanding of ethical frameworks; - deepen their ability to engage movies as source of theological and ethical reflection; - appreciate the connections between ethics, spirituality, rituals and the arts; - strengthen their ability to read critically primary philosophical and theological sources, placing them in their historical contexts and social location; - be able to integrate ethical issues with theological reflection in their class contribution and writings; - offer a constructive proposal to the issues explored in the course in their paper and presentation; - articulate a personal understanding of the use of the ethical imagination for social change; - improve writing skills by writing short learning journals and a major research/constructive paper; - improve communication skills by preparing one student presentation; - improve time-management skills by respecting deadlines; - deepen their ability to do interdisciplinary work; - deepen their ability to work collaboratively in teams and study groups; - articulate how the issues explored in the course relate to their vocational journey and ministries; - articulate how the work of the course relate to SKSM commitment to Educate to Counter Oppressions and Build Just and Sustainable Communities.

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LEARNING STYLES AND SPECIAL NEEDS

We will strive to be attentive and respectful of the diversity of learning styles of the people in the class. This means that some activities will fit best your learning and some will be more challenging but best for other people in the class.

If you have any learning disabilities or special needs please discuss it promptly with the instructor so that adequate measures can be taken.

GRADING

Your final evaluation will assess holistically your performance in the different areas and requirements outlined below, with a focus on your learning growth during the semester. Elements for the assessment of students will include class participation on Moodle (see specific requirements), one class presentation and the performance of the class as a whole. As ethics is not done in solitude but is a collective endeavor, we will price collaborative learning by making it one of the evaluative criteria for the class. This will include the way we challenge to learn together in the group and the quality of group presentations.

SKSM students take classes on a pass or fail basis, and receive a written evaluation of their work. If you need or desire to receive letter grades please notify instructor.

Modes of receiving evaluation: every time you turn in an assignment you will receive written feedback on your writing, your work in class and suggestions for your future work. I am also available for individual meetings and hope to meet with all students at least once, especially as you prepare your final papers and presentations. At the end of the class I return the final with written feedback and an evaluation form about the overall work in the class. For people requesting letter grades, I follow PSR guidelines (http://www.psr.edu/grades).

Class Attendance - Active participation in class discussions on Moodle is an essential component of this course, and all students are required to participate weekly. You will not pass this class if you are inactive and fail to communicate promptly with the instructor about extenuating circumstances in your life that prevent you from studying and posting. The enrollment key for accessing the course on Moodle is: grass5peg.

Posting – If possible, please do all of your readings and post your reflection by Thursday at 1pm, then engage in discussing other people’s postings for the rest of the week. Please post at least two answers to your classmates. The initial posting should be a thoughtful reflection on the readings and movie of the week, addressing the professor weekly questions. Please write the equivalent of a screenshot for this first post. You want to strive for depth of content yet be concise so that people can easily read your comment. Then write short comments and/or questions to at least two other postings. The professor will read and engage in dialogue during the work-week (Monday-Friday). 4

Students’ Presentations – In the spirit of collaborative learning, in the last weeks of the class students will share the fruits of their creative work by offering a presentation on their final paper/project. Group presentations are highly encouraged. The format of the presentation is open. After each presentation students will receive feedback from peers and instructor.

Papers – Class participants are asked to write an introduction paper (3-5 pages), a midterm essay (5-7 pages), and one final paper (12-15 pages) on a subject of one’s choice. Papers should be double-spaced.

- February 5 : introduction paper due, please post by 1pm; - March 31: midterm essay and final project proposal due; - May 18: final paper/project due.

- Please advise instructor promptly if you need an extension due to any extenuating circumstances. Failure to do so will reflect on your final evaluation.

Please see the appendixes at the end of the syllabus for specific descriptions and requirements for each paper.

Team work – You will be evaluated also according to how well the group is able to work together as a team, as we aim to create an environment that is respectful yet able to cope with conflicts and differences of perspectives, where learning is communal rather that only individual, where students support each other in their work and students and teacher strive to be direct and pro-active in communicating with each other. Students are invited to pay great attention to the dynamics of our work together, reflecting critically on them and using them as a source for learning on ethics. The creation of support/accountability learning teams (2-3 people) is also highly suggested and it is for the students to organize. Ethics is a collective and collaborative endeavor. Students can choose to work collaborative on their final paper/project and related presentation.

Credits and workload: this is a 3 credits graduate class. It is usually expected that graduate students spend 3 hours for each credit given in order to prepare for class. You should plan to read, watch suggested movies, reflect and write for about nine hours to prepare for each session. Strategies on how to approach the work will be discussed in class.

READINGS Readings for this class will include articles and book chapters posted on Moodle and the following books: - Duane L. Cady, Moral Vision: How Everyday Life Shapes Ethical Thinking, New York, Rowman and Littlefield, 2005. ISBN 0-7425-4494-X 5

- S. Brent Plate, Religion and Cinema: Cinema and the Recreation of the World. New York: Wallflower, 2008. ISBN 978-1-905674-69-5 - Sharon D. Welch, A Feminist Ethic of Risk. Minneapolis, Fortress Press, 2000.

Required Movies: Of the nine required movie for this class, two are available on Moodle and seven are on reserve at the GTU library or available on Netflix DVD (if you rather not by them). Most of them should also be available at local libraries.

Antonia's Line, by Marleen Gorris, Netherlands, 1996, 102 min. Netflix DVD Amreeka by Cherien Dabis, USA/Canada. 96 min. Netflix DVD Children of Men, by Alfonso Cuarón, UK/USA, 2006.109 min. Netflix DVD Decalogue 2, by Krzystof Kieslowsky, Poland, 1987, 60 min. On Moodle Decalogue 8, by Krzystof Kieslowsky, Poland, 1987, 60 min. On Moodle Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee, USA, 1989.120 min. Netflix DVD Frozen River, by Courtney Hunt, USA, 2008, 93 min. Netflix DVD Soldiers of Conscience, by Gary Weimberg and Catherine Ryan, USA, 2008, 65 min. Netflix DVD The Wedding Song, by Karin Albou, France, 2008, 100 min. Netflix DVD

Suggested Support Texts: (not required or necessary to pass the class, but useful resources for your projects). - David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson, Film Art: An Introduction, 7th edition - Leo Braudy and Mashall Cohen. Film Theory and Criticism, 6th edition - Chohini Chaudiri, Feminist Film Theorists. New York: Routledge, 2006. - Paul V.M. Flesher and Robert Torry. Film and Religion: An Introduction. Nashville: Abingdon, 2007. - John C. Lyden, Film as Religion: Myths, Morals, and Rituals. New York: NYU Press, 2003. ISBN 0-8147-5181-4 - Margaret Miles, Seeing and Believing: Religion and Values in the Movies. Boston: Beacon Press, 1996. - Jolyon Mitchell and S. Brent Plate, eds. The Realigion and Film Reader. New York, Routledge, 2007. - S. Brent Plate, ed. Representing Religion on World Cinema: Filmmaking, Mythmaking, Culture Making. New York: Palgrave McMillian, 2003. - Jonathan Rosembaum, Placing Movies: The Practice of Film Criticism - Judith Weisenfeld. Hollywood Be Thy Name: African American Religion in American Film, 1929-1949. University of California Press, 2007. - Frank B. Wilderson III, Red, White, and Black: Cinema and the Structure of US Antagonisms. Durham: Duke University Press, 2010. - Mary Lea Bandy and Antonio Monda, The Hidden God: Film and Faith. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2003. - Kimberly A. Blessing and Paul J. Tudico., eds. Movies and the Meaning of Life: Philosophers Take on Hollywood. Chicago: Open Court, 2005. 6

COURSE CALENDAR

Week 1 - February 2-8 Introduction; Cinema and the Re-creation of the world

Reading: Cinema and the Re-creation of the World by S. Brent Plate (91 pages, book)

Video: “WWI Christmas Truce” on Moodle

Ethical autobiographies due on Moodle. If possible post your autobiography by Thursday at 1 pm so people can have the time to read all essays during the rest of the week.

Week 2 - February 9-15 Decalogue 2

Reading: Moral Vision by Duane L. Cady (112 pages, book) Krzysztof Kieslowski, “Introduction to the Decalogue:” in The Religion and Film Reader, Ch 31, 218-224. Movie: “Decalogue 2” (on Moodle) Videos: interviews to Kieslowski on Moodle

Additional suggested movies: “Decalogue 1, 3-7, 9-10” and “Blind Chance” by K. Kieslowski

Week 3 - February 16-22 Decalogue 8

Readings: John C. Lyden, Film as Religion: Myths, Morals and Rituals, Ch. 1, 11-35, Ch 3, 56- 78, ch5 109-136. Margaret Miles, Seeing and Believing: Religion and Values in the Movies, Ch. 1, 5- 25, Ch. 9, 182-193. Movie: “Decalogue 8” by K. Kieslowski (on Moodle)

Week 4 - February 23- March 1st Antonia’s Line and the process of Re-reading

Readings: Gabriella Lettini, “Re-reading” Catie Geneva Cannon, “Moral Wisdom in the Black Women’s Literary Tradition” Catie Geneva Cannon, “Hitting a Straight Lick With a Crooked Stick” Beverly Harrison, “The Power of Anger in the Work of Love” 7

Beverly Harrison, “Making Connections: Becoming a Feminist Ethicist” Ada María Isasi-Díaz, “Un Poquito de Justicia” Patricia-Anne Johnson, “Womanist Theology as Counter Narrative” in Gender Ethnicity and Religion: Views from the Other Side, Rosemary Radford Ruether, ed. Minneapolis, Fortress Press, 2002, 197-214. Movie: Antonia’s Line by Marleen Gorris

Week 5 – March 2-8 Amreeka

Readings: Mark Johnson, Moral Imagination, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1993, Ch 8, 185-216. Sharon D. Welch, A Feminist Ethic of Risk. Ch 1 and 68, p. 13-37 and 103-180. (from book, not on Moodle. Movie: “Amreeka” by Cherien Dabis

Week 6 – March 9- 15 Children of Men

Readings: Jacqueline Battalora, “Whiteness: Workings of an Ideology in American Society and Culture” in Gender, Ethnicity and Religion: Views from the Other Side, Rosemary Radford Ruether, ed. 3-23. Kwok Pui Lan, “The Postcolonial Imagination” Emilie M. Townes, “Ethics as an Art of Doing the Work Our Souls Must Have” Cornel West, “An Afro-American Revolutionary Christianity” Thomas Ross, “White Innocence, Black Abstraction” in Critical White Studies, Looking Beyond the Mirror, Richard Delhado and Jean Stefancic, eds. Philadelphia University Press, 1997, 263-266. Margaret Russell, “Race and the Dominant Gaze: Narratives of Law and Inequality in Popular Film” in Critical White Studies, Looking Beyond the Mirror, Richard Delhado and Jean Stefancic, eds. Philadelphia University Press, 1997, 267-272. Movie: Children of Men by Alfonso Cuaron

Week 7 – March 16-22 Frozen River

Movie: Frozen River by Courtney Hunt

Readings: Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, “The Grid of History: Cowboys and Indians,” http://ouleft.sp- mesolite.tilted.net/?p=1295 Andrea Smith “Heteropatriarchy and the Three Pillars of White Supremacy: Rethinking Women of Color Organizing” in Color of Violence: The INCITE! Anthology, South End Press, 2006. 8

Elisabeth Bounds, ‘Untangling Race and Class,” in Disrupting White Supremacy from Within, Jennifer Harvey et alii, eds, Cleveland, OH, Pilgrim Press, 123-141. Karin A. Case, “Claiming White Social Location as a Site of Resistance to White Supremacy” in Disrupting White Supremacy from Within, 63-90. WORK ON MIDTERM AND FINAL PROJECT PROPOSAL

Reading Week – March 23-29 - No class MIDTERM JOURNAL AND FINAL PROJECT PROPOSAL DUE next week

Week 8 – March 30- April 5 The Wedding Song

MIDTERM JOURNAL AND FINAL PROJECT PROPOSAL DUE on March 31st

Readings: Sharon Adler, interview with Karin Albou, http://www.aviva-berlin.de/aviva/content_Interviews.php?id=1425092 Michael Bird, “Religion in Film,” in The Religion and Film Reader, Ch 61, 391-397. Shohini Chaudhuri, Feminist Film Theorists, New York, Routledge, 2006, 78-84. Jacqueline Pearce, “Ethics of Social Responsibility in the Qur’an and the Torah” JAGNES, Vol. 10, No. 2, Special Issue on Islamic Ethics, 3-22. Judith Plaschow, “Female Sexuality and Women as Other” in Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism from a Feminist Perspective. San Francisco: Harper, 1990, 171-176. Movie: “The Wedding Song” by Karin Albou

Week 9 – April 6-12 Soldiers of Conscience

Readings: TCCW Preparatory Material, Final Report, and Additional Resources: www.conscienceinwar.org Rita Nakashima Brock and Gabriella Lettini, Soul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury after War. Boston, Beacon Press, 2012. Introduction, Ch. 2 and Ch. 5, p. xi- xxvii, 17-43 and 93-115. Movie: Soldiers of Conscience by Gary Weimberg and Cathy Rion

Week 10 – April 13-19 Do the Right Thing

Readings: Viveca Greene and Chris Tinson: “Do the Right Thing’: Still a Racial Rorschach at 20”, the Nation, August 18 2009 http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090831/greene_tinson Spike Lee with David Breskin, Inner Views: Filmakers in Conversation, in The Religion and Film Reader, Ch. 39, 257-260. 9

Ruben Rosario Rodriguez, “Beyond Black and White: Understanding Racism in North America.” In Racism and God Talk, New York NY University Press, 2008, 25-68. Clyde Taylor, “The Re-birth of the Aesthetic in Cinema” in Race and the Emergence of US Cinema, Daniel Bernardi, ed. New Brunswick, NJ, Rutgers Universirity Press, 1996. 15-55. Frank B. Wilkerson III, Red, White and Black , Introduction and Ch. 1, 1-53. Sharon Willis, “Spike Lee’s Politics of Style” in High Contrast: Race and Gender in Contemporary Hollywood Film, Durham, Duke University Press, 1997, Ch. 5, 158- 188. Movie: Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee

Week 11 – April 27- May 3 Final Project Presentations and Discussion

Week 12– May 4-10 Final Project Presentations and Discussion

Week 14 – May 11-17 Weaving the Threads of Our Learning: Integrative Evaluation and Closing

MAY 18: FINAL PAPER DUE. Extensions will be granted only in exceptional circumstances. Incompletes will be allowed only if the proper paperwork is filled.

Additional Suggested Filmography: Amandla: A Revolution in Four Part Harmony, by Lee Hirsh, South Africa, 2003, 103 min. Bamako, by Abderrahmane Sissako, Mali/France/U.S., 2006, 108 min. Bitter Bread/Pane Amaro: The Italian American Journey by Gianfranco Norelli, USA, 2009. 103 min Blind Chance, by Krzysztof Kieswlowski, Poland,1981. 114 min. Boys Don’t Cry by Kimberly Peirce, USA, 1999. 118 min. Cache’ (Hidden) by Michael Haneke, France, 2005. 117 min. Code Unknown, by Michael Haneke, France, 2000. 118 min. Crimes and Misdemeanours, by Woody Allen, USA, 1989, 104 min. Dead Man Walking, by Tim Robbins, USA, 1996.104 min. Destiny by Youssef Chahine, Egypt, 1997. 135 min. Dogville by Lars von Trier, Denmark, 2003. 178 min. Facing Windows by Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy, 2003. 106 min. 4 Months, 3 Weeeks and 2 Days by Christian Mungiu, Romania, 2007. 113 min. His Secret Life by Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy, 2001. 106 min. Killer of Sheep by Charles Burnett, USA, 1977. 81 min La Promesse (The Promise), by Jeanne-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Belgium, 1996, 93 min. The Day I Became a Woman, by Marzieh Meshkini, Iran, 2000. 78 min. 10

Milk by Gus Van Sant, USA, 2009, 128 min. On Reserve Overseas (Outramer), by Diane Kurys, France, 1990. 98 min. Persepolis, France, Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi, France, 2007. 95 min. Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa, Japan, 1951. 88 min. Sankofa, by Haile Gerima, 1993. Germany, Ghana, USA, UK. 125 min. Sleep Dealer by Alex Rivera, USA/Mexico, 2008. 90 min. The Edukators, by Hans Weingartner, Germany, 2004. 127 min. Together (Tillsammans) by Lukas Moodysson, Sweden, 2000, 106 min. Walk on Water, by Eytan Fox, Israel, 2004, 104 min.

Resources: Pacific Film Archives, 2575 Bancroft Way at Bodwitch, Berkeley, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu

Online Resource: Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com

Race and Ethnicity in Movies: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/EthnicImagesVid.html

Labor Themes in Movies: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/labormoviesbib.html

Race, Ethnicity and Gender in Movies: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/FilmBibMenu.html

Gay, Lesbian, and Transgendered People in Film and TV http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/GayBib.html

Disabilities in Movies: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/disabilitiesbib.html

PAPER DESCRIPTIONS AND DEADLINES

NOTE: If English is not your first language you have the right to some additional time to hand your papers in and can receive help with editing. Please confer with faculty ASAP.

Introduction paper (or “an ethical autobiography through films”):

- This assignment opens our work together (3-5 pages, double space). In writing address the following questions: What are the sources that, in different moments of your life, have most shaped your ethics (traditions, people, texts, experiences, etc)? Are there movies that have deeply shaped your ethical thinking and imagining? How so? PLEASE POST YOUR ETHICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY BY THURSDAY AT 1 PM AND READ 11

ALL OF THEM BY THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASS. NOTE: This is an academic paper in a public setting: you are NOT required to share any personal detail or information unless you want to. In other words, this paper asks you to give an introduction to yourself to the professor and the class in relation to the subject matter of the class and you can write this paper without having necessarily to share extremely personal information. Please discuss this with instructor if instructions are still not clear to you. Students will be asked to keep the information from the papers confidential, but the writers should take responsibility for what they decide to share: the classroom is not a completely “safe” space.

MIDTERM ESSAY DUE MARCH 31 Please write a 5-7 page reflection essay addressing the following questions:

 How did the movies, readings and topics we engaged so far enriched and/or challenged you the most in your thinking about ethics and/in movies? What have you learned from them, what critical feedback do you have, what are the questions you want to keep addressing?  How did group discussion and group process enrich your thinking?  Please, do engage both movies and readings. Please, no long quotes. Follow Turabian style: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/instruct/guides/chicago- turabianstyle.pdf

Before writing your essay, please do the following:

- read any assignments that you were not able to complete, - go on Moodle and read any of the postings you might not have read, - consider meeting with your learning-accountability partner or team to reflect and discuss together as your prepare to write, - take a moment to re-read your introduction paper. Reflect on anything that might have changed for you or that you might articulate in a different way because of our work together.

PAPER/PROJECT PRESENTATION PROPOSAL: one or two pages describing the focus of your project, explaining its relevance and articulating the main questions you hope to address. If you opt for an alternative to the traditional paper, please explain carefully the format you envision for your final project. Please list an initial bibliography. DUE MARCH 31

READING WEEK SUGGESTION:

- Make an appointment with yourself: what/who is something/someone that inspires and replenishes your spirit and ethical imagination? Try to set aside two hours for yourself to rest and renew. Plan ahead your favorite “encounter”.

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FINAL PAPER/PROJECT:

Write a 12-15 page paper on a topic previously decided with the instructor and related to your class presentation (double-space, 12 points). Final deadline is May 18.

As you focus on writing your final paper, make sure you address the following questions:

- What is the working title for the paper? It might change until the final draft, but to have a sense of it will enable to see how focused you are in your paper topic.

- What is the main question or thesis that you want to explore in your paper?

- Why is your chosen topic relevant to the theme of our class?

- What are the sources/ resources that you will engage? What is your bibliography? How much research and reading do you need to do to write this paper? Is this feasible? If not, your plan might be too ambitious for a final paper: if you discover so, try to narrow your focus.

- Did you draft a tentative outline? This will enable you to focus on the step you need/want to take as you write. Rewrite you outline as needed. Make sure the paper as an introduction and a conclusion, where you explain your project and methodology and then eventually present your constructive thought on the topic.

- What is your writing schedule? Knowing when you will be able to work and setting up a reasonable research and writing schedule will enable you not to have to stretch yourself too thin at the end.

- Did you consider having extra time for editing and polishing your paper? Please check: Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing), 6th edition. http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/instruct/guides/chicago-turabianstyle.pdf

- Remember that plagiarism is a serious ethical breech and offense and does not contribute to any real learning! For information and suggestions on how to avoid plagiarism: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml