Witnessing the World Through Film: Pressing Global Issues on Screen
A Stufu course that explores socially critical current issues through the power of film. Together, we will watch and discuss films that engage with pressing global topics, including forced migration, labour exploitation, women's rights, the human cost of capitalism and the lived realities of war and climate change.
The course combines two complementary perspectives: (1) On the one hand, we will look at the artistic dimensions of the selected films, including dramaturgy theory, character construction, storytelling, visual language and ethics in filmmaking. (2) On the other hand, we will examine the social, political and economic issues portrayed in the films using theoretical frameworks and methodological tools, including philosophical essays, economic research and political debates.
Beyond the analytical engagement, we seek to become witnesses to the global events depicted in films. We invite students to reflect and create an inner awareness and a conscious relationship to the world and its current global issues. And because this is a cinema course, we are planning to visit a local cinema for one session — watching a film together on the big screen!
Prof. Dr. Kazuma Matoba
Apl.-Professor in der Fakultät für Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft in UWH
Director of Institute for Global Integral Competence
Beatrice Aliné, B.A.
My name is Beatrice Aliné. For over ten years I have worked across film productions of all scales, from student projects and art films to independent productions and professional high-end series, building a practice rooted in both the craft and the concept of filmmaking. Alongside my freelance work, I continuously develop my own film projects. My studies at Fachhochschule Dortmund deepened my focus on film dramaturgy, particularly in independent film. This laid the foundation for my work in script editing and story development, which I do both for my own films and to help other directors strengthen their narratives.
I believe strong dramaturgy is not a formula but a conversation between the structure of a film and the emotion of its action. What the viewer sees in the end is the dialogue the filmmaker had with her material. With my teaching, I want to give you the tools to read that dialogue and to understand what a film and its creator are telling you, beneath the surface of what you see.
Ziele & Kompetenzen
The course develops competences across three dimensions. In the area of film theory, students acquire basic knowledge of directing, character construction, dramaturgy, and visual style. They learn to analyze and evaluate films as artistic works.
Regarding global issues, students deepen their knowledge of pressing global challenges, such as forced migration, climate change, or labour exploitation, by engaging with concrete facts, data, and human stories behind these challenges. Alongside the films, students work with selected texts and analytical frameworks from relevant disciplines, such as philosophical essays, policy documents, or social scientific research.
In the area of socio-emotional learning, students acquire a basic understanding of witnessing theory and trauma. They practice perceiving difficult global realities in a group-based setting — not as distant observers, but as engaged members of a shared world. The course invites students to connect with their own compassion and sense of responsibility, and to develop an awareness of themselves as citizens who are part of, and affected by, what is happening in the world. Self-reflection is an important part of the course.