HISTORY AND ETHICS ON FILM: POLISH CINEMA
What constitutes heroism in the absence of universally shared moral frameworks? Who are we as individuals? What responsibility do we have for the way we represent reality to ourselves and to others? What constitutes "good life"? Engage with these questions and examine Polish cinematic tradition from the so-called Polish Film School to the present. Explore key works, themes, and creators of Polish cinema, and probe the ethical and existential dimensions these films open up. Consider various challenges faced by individuals when they lose connection to social, national, political, religious, and existential frameworks that used to define their identity, along with the strategies -- successful or not -- for maintaining one's selfhood and moral integrity in such crises
Prerequisites & course information
Requisites: None Course Designation: Core GenEd - Humanities & Arts Breadth - Humanities Level - Elementary L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Fall 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. understand the idea of film as an art form engaged in ethical problems Audience: Undergraduate 2. identify, analyze, and evaluate ways through which films address and attempt to resolve ethical challenges Audience: Undergraduate 3. analyze films from the ethical perspective using a variety of critical methodologies Audience: Undergraduate 4. recognize and explain the central themes and developments of Polish cinematic tradition Audience: Undergraduate 5. discuss film’s position in Poland’s shifting social, cultural, and political landscape Audience: Undergraduate 6. develop, compare, and effectively express ideas about films and their underlying semantic structures Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. understand the idea of film as an art form engaged in ethical problems Audience: Undergraduate 2. identify, analyze, and evaluate ways through which films address and attempt to resolve ethical challenges Audience: Undergraduate 3. analyze films from the ethical perspective using a variety of critical methodologies Audience: Undergraduate 4. recognize and explain the central themes and developments of Polish cinematic tradition Audience: Undergraduate 5. discuss film’s position in Poland’s shifting social, cultural, and political landscape Audience: Undergraduate 6. develop, compare, and effectively express ideas about films and their underlying semantic structures Audience: Undergraduate
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027