War and Peace in Films (Course Proposal)

December 4, 06

To: Greig Stewart

From: Colman McCarthy

If it’s not too late, I’d like to teach a winter term course. Attached is a CV. I’ve been teaching in the Honors program since 1986, a course called “Alternatives To Violence.”

For the winter term, I’d like to offer “War and Peace in Films.” The discussion-based course would examine both documentaries and conventional films, including print criticism of the films. Students will be asked to evaluate the message of the films and the influence of the films on public opinion. The topics of the films will include the Vietnam War , the death penalty, domestic violence, Gandhian nonviolence, the current war in Iraq and the war on animals. Two papers will be due, one half-way through and the second at the end of the course. Students can take the course either S/F or letter grades.