Associate professor of history Martin Haas teaches his students about the magic and complexity of films.
鈥淔ilms give life to philosophy,鈥� said Martin Haas, associate professor.
To prove the point, in his Modern Condition course, his students explore great thinkers like Nietzsche, Darwin and Marx…and they watch movies.
Haas feels that by its very nature, film makes a compelling way to illustrate philosophical ideas.
One of his students, Sarah Stevens ’16, agreed. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great tool. In film you understand concepts fully without anything being said. Theories are illustrated in real-time emotion. Anecdotes are immediate.鈥�
鈥淔ilm is a triple mirror for history,鈥� Haas observed. He explained, 鈥淵ou see how film looks at the past, where it was made, and you understand that specific moment in history.鈥�
He selects films by topic and significance. When he showed Woody Allen鈥檚 Crimes and Misdemeanors, it sparked a talk about religion, a key theme in the film.
Fire, a film from India about gender relations, was chosen not just for its excellence, but also its international flavor and cosmopolitan viewpoint.
A famous scene from Modern Times starring Charlie Chaplin.
鈥淚 showed Modern Times,鈥� Haas said. He reflected upon Charlie Chaplin鈥檚 hapless factory worker in that 1936 classic. 鈥淪tudents interpreted it by Marx, Darwin and Andrew Carnegie, and different students saw the film differently. I tell them there is no correct interpretation, only that they defend their point of view with a close reading of the film.鈥�
Jacqueline Condon, a junior, recalled seeing Modern Times. 鈥淲e talked about it, about capitalism, and related it to social and political issues. I learned to analyze films, to make connections and find out what the films are really about.”
She likes Haas鈥� open-mindedness. 鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 just lecture, but listens and discusses. He lets us decide where the classroom discussion is going while guiding. You become an active participant.鈥�
Haas鈥� passion for his subject and the way he teaches inspires. In fact, a former student decided to do her senior thesis on Woody Allen based on her experiences in Haas鈥� class.
Haas serves on the board of directors, in Huntington, New York, and he provides review essays for their folios. He recently hosted a film series on race, immigration and migration at the Adelphi Performing Arts Center Concert Hall. Films and discussions included A Raisin in the Sun, West Side Story, El Norte, Hate and Dirty, Pretty Things.
For further information, please contact:
Todd Wilson
Strategic Communications Director听
p 鈥� 516.237.8634
e 鈥� twilson@adelphi.edu