PH2224 - Philosophy and Film Review

PH2224

Taken in: AY21/22 Semester 1
Lecturer: Prof John Holbo

Grading:

• 25% - Participation
• 15% - Tutorial Participation
• 10% - Forum Participation
• 15% - Essay 1
• 20% - Essay 2
• 20% - Essay 3
• 20% - Essay 4

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This module is for discussing film and philosophy, but mostly film (And the philosophy around film). This can include analysis of certain film techniques and interpretations of film. That, or even animation and silent film, and why sound/music are a core part of film, what makes animation different from live-action film, etc. The second half of the module was created on the spot. Prof Holbo asked us for suggestions on what to discuss, and from there the syllabus was built. For my semester, we decided on stuff like bad movies, adaptations, villains, thought experiments, comedy.

This module turned out to be completely different from what I had expected. It could be because I took GET1029 the semester before and expected something more familiar, or that I expected a more structured lesson plan. Still, it wasn't a BAD module - I quite enjoyed discussing, thinking, talking about film.

So what's this module like? Lectures and tutorials were basically a very loose discussion forum. The Prof is not there to teach, but there to facilitate discussion on film and the topic of the week. He would assign a film or readings to discuss for the week, but you were more than welcome to bring something else up. It's not the kind of "Lecture slides" and "Note-taking" lecture you'd normally be used to. The structure (or lack thereof) is loose, and really is for discussion. The problem is that in a class of, I think 50-60, only about 20-25 showed up for lectures each week. So, as you may expect, not enough live discussion happened. Thankfully, the Prof also encourages us to discuss on the forum, which was where I placed my thoughts that I couldn't quite put into words during lecture, and where a lot of interesting posts were made.

On that note, each week's required film viewing was very open-ended too. There was a recommended film but you're allowed to watch anything worth discussing, like the week we discussed musicals, you're free to watch any, and same for animation. The problem with this was that there was usually little to discuss as we each watched (or not even!) different films. I am guilty of not watching some of the films some weeks for lack of time, and discussion just couldn't carry on when the class hadn't watched it either. We did discuss the readings as well.

If you want a loosely structured module, an outlet to discuss film, you can take this. It's a really lightweight module. I assume if you're taking a film module, you'd wanna discuss film and have something to say about some aspects of film. It's fine! Prof Holbo can make a learning point out of random things, and he encourages you to do the same, like coming up with a fun-fact about a film and building off discussion points on that (This was encouraged for the essays). I quite liked writing the essays, and you should be comfortable writing short essays. I wonder if other Philo mods are like this...

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Assessments

Essays

Assessments, besides participation, were very straightforward. Four essays, due weeks 4, 7, 11, and Exam week 1. Topics were related to those discussed during weekly lectures, save for essay 1 which were based on 14 questions given by the Prof. I found the essay component to be very fun, as they're each 1000 words, and the Prof encourages a less formal style, something like a film review, but academic. I let loose with these essays, and wrote about my thoughts (Philosophical, of course!) on some movies.

I don't think there's much reason to write about the essay topics as they may change based on the ever-plastic syllabus (Which is decided based on popular vote!). That, and they're quite open-ended. Just treat it as an avenue to pen your thoughts, but you get a grade for convincing the Prof.

For an example, Some topics let you discuss music in film, or discuss what makes bad movies "bad". The grading is out of 10 for each essay, and you'll do better if you make your point clear, or even convince the Prof.

Participation

Throughout the semester, prof also encourages tutorial participation (The standard stuff) and forum participation, which is another discussion space.

Final Note

I did averagely for essays, and participated somewhat, so I'm hoping to score decently. I don't know, man. I would say this module is a hit-or-miss. It's certainly very different from the previous film modules I had taken. As usual, feel free to write in if you'd like to reference my essays.

Expected grade: A-

Actual grade: A

Pleasantly surprised! I think I'll have to attribute the bump to my participation.

Reviewed by: ZH