Images of Madness: Feature Films in Teaching Psychology

Abstract

An interdisciplinary course, Psychology and Film: Images of Madness, has been taught at Boston University since 1979 by two instructors: a psychologist and a film historian. This course may be pedagogically unique because of its use of feature films (90 to 110 min) as a major element of instruction. The films allow students to explore the interaction between art and psychology and make them cognizant of the cinema's ability to reflect and affect our perceptions of madness and treatment. A student survey and course evaluation substantiated the effectiveness of this instructional program.