Events

Exploring Aging Through Film 10 week course

South Vancouver Island

Tue. January 24th, 2012 – Tue. April 3rd, 2012 6:30pm - 9:15pm

Canadians are living longer; longer than ever before. Older, healthier adults continue to contribute to society and engage in a variety of meaningful activities, and more and more of us are recognizing this new, emerging vision of old age as our own. The impact of this ‘longevity revolution’ on how we live and understand our lives has far-reaching implications and is being re-examined by governments, researchers, and educators as well as those in the social sciences, arts and humanities.

Film, perhaps more than any other contemporary medium, offers portrayals of old age in a breadth of social contexts providing alternatives to the now-outdated views that equate aging with decline and age 65 with the end of development. How is the journey through later life depicted in modern films? How do these portrayals relate to the scientific data available on aging and development? Do these films reflect what we have learned and are learning about the aging process from those who have embarked on this later life journey? Do they ring true to our own experiences?
These and other questions will be addressed by viewing a broad range of films that focus on aging and later life. This course is offered in conjunction with an academic credit course and is sponsored by the departments of Psychology, Sociology and Geography and the Centre on Aging.