Scribner Seminar Program
Course Description
Hollywood鈥檚 Portrayal of Science
Instructor (s): Kyle Nichols, Geosciences
Can glaciers advance to New York City in just a few weeks? Can a car drive over molten
lava? Is a magnitude 10.5 earthquake possible? Can we really travel to the center
of the earth? Hollywood would lead you to believe that the answers are yes; however
scientists would most likely respond with 鈥淎re you serious?鈥� Sometimes the portrayal
of science in Hollywood is accurate, while other times science is trumped by poetic
and artistic license. In this seminar, we will watch some of Hollywood鈥檚 most successful
鈥渟cience-based鈥� movies, identify the fiction therein, and learn the real science behind
these stories. We will also discuss Hollywood鈥檚 role in science education, how it
shapes the public鈥檚 perception of science, and how it portrays non-traditional scientists.
For additional perspective, we will watch documentaries and other visual media that
are thought to portray science accurately. Through these investigations, we will explore
the role of visual media in science communication or miscommunication.
Course Offered