Science and the Cinema - SCIF1004
Faculty: Faculty of Science
School: School of Chemistry
Course Outline: http://www.chem.unsw.edu.au/
Campus: Sydney
Career: Undergraduate
Units of Credit: 6
EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)
Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 3.5
CSS Contribution Charge: 2 (more info)
Tuition Fee: See Tuition Fee Schedule
Further Information: See Class Timetable
Available for General Education: Yes (more info)
View course information for previous years.
Description
This intensive course will run at the start of Summer. The first five movies will each be preceeded by a guest lecture from a suitable expert in the scientific field featured in the movie. They will discuss how faithfully the movies portray the science and look at some of the social and ethical issues related to the science that are explored in the films. For the following five (complementary) movies, you will be expected to watch these movies online during a 'virtual week', in which you will use the skills and science taught in the preceding week to independently delve even deeper into both the science and its dramatised representation in the movie.
There will be an opportunity to debate scientific and ethical issues raised by the movies. Not only that but you will get to meet some of the movies stars currently masquerading as chemists in the School of Chemistry. Movies you will see include Gattica (starring Ethan Hawke, Jude Law and Uma Thurman), Jurassic Park (Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern), Day After Tomorrow (Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal and Emmy Rossum) and more. So come along, see some movies and you might learn some basic stuff about how to make your own genetically modified organism, alternative sources of energy and how science could save the world if only the world wanted saving.