Letta Page 12:07 pm on January 16, 2012 | # | Reply

The third additional set of films to hit our inboxes comes from the incomparable Monte Bute, of Metro State, who is well-known for his approach to teaching about death and dying while, well, experiencing these ultimately social phenomena. Monte pointed out that he generally has not found documentary to be a particularly good way to help students enter into the world of death and dying, but was readily able to supply five fictional films that work beautifully in a classroom—even one approaching a sometimes too-close topic.

1. “Ikiru,” directed by Akira Kurosawa

2. “The Seventh Seal,” directed Ingmar Bergman

3. “Of Gods and Men,” directed by Xavier Beauvoix

4. “Tell Me a Riddle,” directed by Lee Grant

5. “Dead Man,” Jim Jarmusch

To hear more about Monte’s approach in the classroom, listen to his episode of the Office Hours podcast here on The Society Pages or check out his own TSP blog, A Backstage Sociologist.