Beth Benoit wrote...
Over the years I've seen many discussions on TIPS about movies to show in
the classroom and this has always made me wonder about the time
considerations of showing it. Specifically, how do each of you go about
showing a movie for use in class?
The obvious possibilities are:
A. Use a whole class - or two if needed - to show a full-length movie
B. Edit clips from a movie for use in class
C. Assign the movie to be watched outside of class (SNIP)
What methods have you chosen to use movies in class?
Aubyn writes...
I have several courses in which I require one or two feature-length films
per quarter. I use your option "C" above - though I don't just assign them
outside of class, I schedule an evening at the start of the quarter, put it
in my syllabus, and require students to watch it all together, with me, at
the same time and place. I started doing this because I teach at a
denominationally affiliated liberal arts college, and I found it was easier
to defend the showing of what are (by local community standards) fairly racy
films if I could tell my administrators that the introductory and concluding
comments I made put the film in the proper educational context (plus, I
think my comments really do provide the necessary context). I continue to do
it because I find that if I just have students rent it on their own, or get
it from reserve in the library, a higher percentage of them never watch it,
or never give it sufficient thought. Also, films are inherently community
experiences, and I think there are several benefits for the class to watch,
and then discuss the film together. Of course there are always a few
students who have unavoidable conflicts, but I can usually keep that to a
minimum, and I allow those with genuine conflicts (work or class) to watch
it on their own. We are a residential college, and while students would
typically prefer a later showing, I usually can get away with showing them
from 5:00 to 7:30 (last 30 minutes or so for discussion). I make each
(roughly 2 hour) movie worth about 50 pages of reading, and adjust
supplemental reading assignments accordingly.
Most often I have students write a reaction paper to the film, though
sometimes I just put an essay question covering it on an exam. In all cases
I provide them with "thought questions" to guide their viewing and help them
relate it to course issues.
Most teachers who use films can't help but share the list, and I am no
exception. One reason I use films is because I am enthusiastic about them,
and with rare exceptions the students catch the enthusiasm too. My list is
pretty standard I think:
G Psych: *The Breakfast Club*; *Philadelphia* (I used to show *Long Time
Companion* instead - which I think is a better film - but it was just a
little too much for many of my students, and they could not learn what I
wanted them to)
Learning & Memory: *Memento* (though I occasionally show clips from the
first third of *Total Recall* in class)
Principles of Counseling: *Ordinary People* and (this year for 1st time) 2
episodes from the first season of *The Sopranos*
Personality: *Hamlet* (Mel Gibson version)
Before being sentenced to my current term as Department Chair I used to
teach Adolescent Development also, and showed a film every other evening
(e.g. *Stand By Me*, *The Breakfast Club*, *Breaking Away*, *The Incredibly
True Adventure of Two Girls in Love*, *The Graduate*).
I've noticed that some college teachers worry that feature films contain
errors, distortions and oversimplifications; I try to minimize that, but it
doesn't worry me too much. The viewing questions, pre-film comments and
post-film discussion focuses on how the film illustrates both what we think
we know, and common misconceptions.
Last bit: I have seen *The Breakfast Club* so many times now that I can
probably recite most of the dialog from memory ("Screws fall out all the
time, the worlds' an imperfect place"). Sadly, though I show it so often, it
has never been one of my favorite films; the "Brat Pack" always did get on
my nerves, and the film is too self-conscious and mannered for my taste. But
it so nicely illustrates several stock points from adolescent development,
and college students tend to enjoy it, that my own lack of enjoyment of it
doesn't seem to matter too much (and I do have fun making fun of the music).
Aubyn
****************************************************
Aubyn Fulton, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Chair, Behavioral Science Department
Pacific Union College
Angwin, CA 94508
Office: 707-965-6536
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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