NOW OPEN: Philosophy + Film

Explore life’s biggest questions through the lens of great cinema through CR's newest course offering!

Gracious reader,

I have some exciting news to share with you!

Enrollment is NOW OPEN for Civic Renaissance’s second course, Philosophy + Film: Explore life’s biggest questions through the lens of great cinema.

As we enter into the holiday weekend—and summer holidays, too—remember: true relaxation isn’t just about the body.

It’s also about rejuvenating the mind.

And restoring the mind is what this course will offer!

In this course, we’ll put seminal philosophic texts into dialogue with some of the greatest films from history, and mine them for insights into how we can live richer, more meaningful lives.

These are texts and films that have changed my life, and they hold the promise to change yours, too.

Here are the texts and thinkers we will read, the films we’ll watch, and then questions we’ll ask:

• Plato + The Matrix: What is truth?

• Kierkegaard + Terrance Malik’s Tree of Life: What is the meaning of life?

• Ecclesiastes + Citizen Kane: How can we be happy in life?

• Seneca + Babette’s feast: How can we make the most of our time on earth?

Again, enrollment is now OPEN!

Enrollment is limited by number and time! We are capping the number to keep the community intimate, and it closes NEXT WEEK, Wednesday June 1, 2022.

Course Structure

This course is ENTIRELY self-paced.

You can begin and progress through the course at any time that you like after purchasing it.

The course has four modules, and each module has the following parts, which you can go through at your own pace:

• Primary source reading from a great philosopher and text

• A film to watch

• A recorded lecture and discussion

• Captioning of the lecture and discussion

• Discussion questions

Optional, BONUS components of the course include:

• A quiz

• A live conversation together about the reading and film together

BONUS CONTENT: for those interested, once each week in June, we’ll also have a synchronous meeting together where we will have he chance discuss the text, the discussion questions, and what insights the texts offer us for leading meaningful lives.

These live, optional, bonus meetings will also be recorded in case you’re unable to attend, or if you are taking the course at a later date.

Again, this course is ONLY available for a limited time—on sale for less than a week—but you can take the course any time you desire.

Who is this course for?

• Lifelong learners. This course is for the curious learner who loves learning for it’s own sake.

• People who miss the classroom. This course offers the best aspects of school—continued learning with a community of curious people—without the worst parts, such as metrics and grades. The people who take this class do so because they WANT to!

• Learners of ALL backgrounds and education levels! Whether you’ve read ALL of these texts and watched all of these films or NONE of them, we’re exploring these classic works of art because of the way that they can teach us something new each time they encounter them.

• This course is for people who LOVE flexibility! The course is ENTIRELY self-paced! You can enjoy the readings, lectures, quizzes whenever you’d like.

Enrollment is 100% RISK FREE!

If for any reason you’re unsatisfied—even if you’ve taken the entire course!—you’ll receive a full refund.

What comes next

Once again, enrollment is now OPEN!

This week, stay tuned this week for more details on the course, including:

• FAQs

• Info on the bonus content for registrants

• Additional surprises!

Access to the first module will be available when registration closes next week.

Thank you so much for being part of the Civic Renaissance community. I’m so grateful for the chance to get to know each of you through this course, and to continue to engage with The Great Conversation and ideas that matter.

This course will guide you through some of the greatest ideas, texts, questions and films ever made. It’s my privilege to be both your guide and fellow student as we explore the corridors of ancient wisdom through these books and films.

The definition of a classic work is one you can return to time and time again and consistently find something new.

Questions or comments?

Email me directly at ah@alexandraohudson.com

I can’t wait to learn with you!

Warmly,

Lexi