Course description
Are you anxious about the dangers of technological innovation, especially artificial intelligence, the possibility of alien life and its intentions, the threat of environmental devastation, and other apocalyptic futures? Youre not alone: contemporary filmmakers are constantly exploring these themes. What may surprise you, however, is that these filmmakers are increasingly turning to ancient Gnostic mythology as a resource for thinking through these anxieties. From Bladerunner to Westworld, from The Matrix to the Alien franchise, we see more and more films picking up this ancient mythology and adapting it to contemporary anxieties about aliens, artificial intelligence, and the apocalypse. According to this Gnostic mythology, the world we inhabit is believed to have been created by a malevolent or ignorant god, and governed by its deputies. Gnostic mythology emerges, then, as a critique of the created order and the powers that be, and imagines forms of resistance and liberation, including how to seek out the true god, who is higher than the creator and its deputies. This course examines Gnosticisms sudden resurgence in the world of film (and increasingly, in television), especially in science fiction and fantasy. The aim of this course is to equip students with the texts and tools to see this ancient mythology at work in our contemporary culture.
