The reading that you should do this week (along with watching A TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES is available online -- it's found here, at the Yale Film Studies web resources. Once you click on that link, you should see a menu to the left, please read (and understand) sections one - five. In other words, don't feel obliged to read section six.
You may write a journal about the reading if you would like. The quiz you will take on Monday will include information from the film literacy reading AND the film A TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Course Journals
Film Journals offer you an opportunity to develop your thinking about topics from the class by
applying the ideas we talk and read about to particular films. I will be browsing your film journals
regularly, and I expect to find questions, arguments, personal perceptions, integrative thinking and
honesty there.
Twice during the semester I will review your journals to assign a grade. This grade will be based on both an overall assessment of your reflection and process AND based on a close reading of one entry which you think demonstrates your insight or illustrates your personal growth.
Prior to my review, I will ask you to review all of your entries to that point, write a brief synopsis of your “journey” in the journal and also set a 2 - 3 goals for your journaling for the remainder of the semester. There will be a rubric available for your review in the course folder in google docs.
Twice during the semester I will review your journals to assign a grade. This grade will be based on both an overall assessment of your reflection and process AND based on a close reading of one entry which you think demonstrates your insight or illustrates your personal growth.
Prior to my review, I will ask you to review all of your entries to that point, write a brief synopsis of your “journey” in the journal and also set a 2 - 3 goals for your journaling for the remainder of the semester. There will be a rubric available for your review in the course folder in google docs.
Your film journal must be entered into one google document that I will share with you at the outset of the class. You will be expected to make two entries per week and those entries can range from 200 words to 600 words. I will occasionally offer you prompts about specific films and specific readings, but I will also have a list of prompts for you that you may respond to on “Free Writing” days. While you are not obliged to use prompts on “Free Writing” days, you are obliged to respond to the prompts when they are assigned.
Journal prompts will regularly appear HERE on the course blog. I will often let you know about new journal prompts by alerting you through the TEXTING service and / or in class. You can EASILY find all the prompts by just clicking on the LABELS at the end of this entry: "Journal Prompt" or "Journals"
If you summarize and review the films you watch in your journal prior to the in-class quiz, I am willing to review your quiz grade, based on the journal entry. If you wish to appeal a quiz grade using a journal entry, you need to make an appointment with me outside of class.
My office hours are listed on the top of the syllabus, posted on my door each week and I am available during other times during the week by appointment. You can schedule an appointment by signing up on my office door in FH 13.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Making and Sharing Google Docs (or Using the Google Drive)
Here's a speedy tutorial for making and sharing google docs.
If you like, you may compose your paper in google docs. For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to assume that you do not, though. I'm assuming that you've composed your document in the word processing program of your choice, and now you're going to share it with me (or someone else).
Here are the steps you'll want to take:
1. login to your student email.
2. Near the top right hand corner of the page you'll see a series of squares that look almost like a tic tac toe board (like below)
3. When you click on those squares, you'll see a triangle option entitled GOOGLE DRIVE.
4. Once you click on it and a new tab opens you will see the option to CREATE a google document OR UPLOAD a document. These buttons (below) are red and you should be able to create a google doc by clicking on them.
5. After you create your document or upload it -- please hit the SHARE button you'll see on the upper right hand corner.
6. Once you hit that button, a dialogue box will come up (that looks like the one below). You need to share this document with world.cinema.malone@gmail.com and then hit the DONE button.
7. You may receive a warning dialogue telling you that that user is outside of your network, you should CONTINUE and SHARE the document anyway.
If you like, you may compose your paper in google docs. For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to assume that you do not, though. I'm assuming that you've composed your document in the word processing program of your choice, and now you're going to share it with me (or someone else).
Here are the steps you'll want to take:
1. login to your student email.
2. Near the top right hand corner of the page you'll see a series of squares that look almost like a tic tac toe board (like below)
3. When you click on those squares, you'll see a triangle option entitled GOOGLE DRIVE.
4. Once you click on it and a new tab opens you will see the option to CREATE a google document OR UPLOAD a document. These buttons (below) are red and you should be able to create a google doc by clicking on them.
5. After you create your document or upload it -- please hit the SHARE button you'll see on the upper right hand corner.
6. Once you hit that button, a dialogue box will come up (that looks like the one below). You need to share this document with world.cinema.malone@gmail.com and then hit the DONE button.
7. You may receive a warning dialogue telling you that that user is outside of your network, you should CONTINUE and SHARE the document anyway.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Introduction
One of the most significant developments of our time is the rapidly shrinking distance among cultures and institutions of our world. We are sometimes startled to discover the place of Hollywood films in the lives of people whom we had thought of as culturally remote from ourselves. At the same time, film industries have emerged in many other countries, offering us fresh and sometimes surprising perspectives on life in other cultures. It is these movie industries outside of the United States that will be our focus in this course.
We will develop a working vocabulary of film terminology and moviemaking technique, and underline the connection between analyzing and writing about our experiences of film and a richer, more sophisticated enjoyment of it. Ultimately, we will use the insights and perspectives of world filmmakers to enrich our understanding of some of the key institutions and social dynamics that increasingly link the peoples of our world.
We will develop a working vocabulary of film terminology and moviemaking technique, and underline the connection between analyzing and writing about our experiences of film and a richer, more sophisticated enjoyment of it. Ultimately, we will use the insights and perspectives of world filmmakers to enrich our understanding of some of the key institutions and social dynamics that increasingly link the peoples of our world.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Community Involvement Advocacy.
As you know, much of your grade for "Community Involvement" comes from the advocacy and support of your peers. Now is the time for you to spend a few moments advocating on their behalf.
An index with your classmates pictures and names is available in google docs. Please refer to that sheet as you type up your community advocacy for each other.
(If you would like to change your picture in this document, feel free to do so. DO NOT change anyone else's picture. I will know if you did and you will receive a mind-blowingly unfair grade penalty.)
I will send you a link (in your email) and you should click that link and then type in anything that you would want to about the members in the class. You do NOT have to write about everyone (please don't), but you MUST write about yourself.
Here's an example:
If you do not complete a community involvement advocacy sheet, your own community involvement grade (assigned by me) will automatically be reduced by 20%.
An index with your classmates pictures and names is available in google docs. Please refer to that sheet as you type up your community advocacy for each other.
(If you would like to change your picture in this document, feel free to do so. DO NOT change anyone else's picture. I will know if you did and you will receive a mind-blowingly unfair grade penalty.)
I will send you a link (in your email) and you should click that link and then type in anything that you would want to about the members in the class. You do NOT have to write about everyone (please don't), but you MUST write about yourself.
Here's an example:
Sheila Peterman
Sheila always seems to have done the reading before class, because the questions she asks seem to be informed. I have also appreciated the examples she gave on the day we talked about informative speaking. I worked in two small groups with her, and she subtly kept the group "on task" the whole time.
Andrew Rudd (me)
I have been going over my notes with my roomate Sean and I listened to Tammie's speech the night before she gave it. Even though I don't say very much in front of the whole class, when we work in groups, I try to be a leader by making suggestions and connecting people's ideas to the ideas from the book.
If you do not complete a community involvement advocacy sheet, your own community involvement grade (assigned by me) will automatically be reduced by 20%.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Catalogue Description
Students will view and analyze western and non-western movies, taking narrative cinema as the principal conduit into the lives, times, and cultures of other persons. As a foundation for film studies, we will also explore the artistic and technical components of the cinema: narrative, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, and so on. Through this engagement with world cinema, the course will underline the connection between analyzing our experiences of film and a richer, more sophisticated enjoyment of it.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Community Involvement
Many teachers assign a grade for student participation in class. While I agree that student participation is very important for a successful classroom experience, I am even more interested in developing a community of learning that includes student (and teacher) participation both within the classroom and outside of the classroom. A community of learning encompasses both formal communication patterns and informal communication patterns. It includes our explicit discussions about world cinema, but could also include conversations with one another as we watch film. It also includes relationships between students just as much as the relationship between the teacher and each individual student.
This grade will be calculated based on multiple assessments, all of which will be measured considering the ways that you contribute to the community of learning in this class. Therefore, some of the areas that will be evaluated in this category include:
1.) your constructive contributions in class (amount, depth of insight, and other-orientation are all important here),
2.) your verbal and non-verbal interaction with others in the class,
3.) your attendance,
4.) your interactions with your peers both inside and outside of class time,
5.) the faithfulness and effectiveness of your group work,
6.) any way you facilitate the learning of other students (clarifying examples in class, helping make movies available, phone calls in the evening, sharing notes together, after class discussions, and study groups) or
7.) any other contributions that you can make to improving the learning climate within the class.
You should focus on developing a culture of learning together; while the development of relationships with one another is important – it is essential that you orient these relationships toward developing one another’s ability to think about the movies and topics in our class. I assume that in order to succeed in this portion of the class, you will need to have read well and been an active participant in class lecture and discussion.
This grade will be evaluated several ways. I will invite the entire class to advocate on behalf of other members of the class. I will journal after class, noting contributions made by individuals. On some days, I will take notes. Halfway through the semester, I will suggest the grade that I think most appropriate for your community involvement thus far (based on my assessments and the assessments of your peers). If you feel that this grade doesn't accurately reflect the way you contributed to the community of learning, I URGE you to talk to me. We can together reflect on our differing perspectives, and set goals for a better understanding in the second half of the semester.
Clearly, this system doesn’t allow you to either be invisible or domineering in this class. Hopefully we can co-construct a positive learning environment together.
At the end of the class, I will assign the final grade, but will consider the following factors: your personal assessment, your peers advocacy, and observations from my class journal throughout the semester.
This grade will be calculated based on multiple assessments, all of which will be measured considering the ways that you contribute to the community of learning in this class. Therefore, some of the areas that will be evaluated in this category include:
1.) your constructive contributions in class (amount, depth of insight, and other-orientation are all important here),
2.) your verbal and non-verbal interaction with others in the class,
3.) your attendance,
4.) your interactions with your peers both inside and outside of class time,
5.) the faithfulness and effectiveness of your group work,
6.) any way you facilitate the learning of other students (clarifying examples in class, helping make movies available, phone calls in the evening, sharing notes together, after class discussions, and study groups) or
7.) any other contributions that you can make to improving the learning climate within the class.
You should focus on developing a culture of learning together; while the development of relationships with one another is important – it is essential that you orient these relationships toward developing one another’s ability to think about the movies and topics in our class. I assume that in order to succeed in this portion of the class, you will need to have read well and been an active participant in class lecture and discussion.
This grade will be evaluated several ways. I will invite the entire class to advocate on behalf of other members of the class. I will journal after class, noting contributions made by individuals. On some days, I will take notes. Halfway through the semester, I will suggest the grade that I think most appropriate for your community involvement thus far (based on my assessments and the assessments of your peers). If you feel that this grade doesn't accurately reflect the way you contributed to the community of learning, I URGE you to talk to me. We can together reflect on our differing perspectives, and set goals for a better understanding in the second half of the semester.
Clearly, this system doesn’t allow you to either be invisible or domineering in this class. Hopefully we can co-construct a positive learning environment together.
At the end of the class, I will assign the final grade, but will consider the following factors: your personal assessment, your peers advocacy, and observations from my class journal throughout the semester.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Reading & Viewing Assessment: Quizzes
To encourage careful reading of films and course texts, I will assess your reading with regular reading assessments. You should expect that if you are assigned a film or reading, there will be a short quiz on the day that the reading is due.
I encourage you to write about each film you watch in your journal -- this will be a helpful way of reviewing for the quiz and I will occasionally allow you to petition for credit if a quiz doesn't reflect your knowledge of the film (and your journal entry does).
There will be even more rare days when I will not assess your reading / viewing at all. They will be rare.
I encourage you to write about each film you watch in your journal -- this will be a helpful way of reviewing for the quiz and I will occasionally allow you to petition for credit if a quiz doesn't reflect your knowledge of the film (and your journal entry does).
There will be even more rare days when I will not assess your reading / viewing at all. They will be rare.
Grading
I encourage you to set your own goals for this class. No outside evaluation of your work, involvement and performance will affect you as significantly as an experience where you attempt to match your own evaluations with those you receive from others. What do you want to learn in this class? Why are you here? What might you walk away with? How can you grow as a person through this experience? What criteria will you use to judge whether or not you have?
That said, I am obliged to evaluate your work, involvement and performance in this class. I don’t shrink from this duty, because I assume that the feedback I give you will be useful as you journey through this learning process.
On the other hand, I don’t assume that you are the sum of your grade in this class. I know your potential far exceeds any grade that’s available in this or any class. Hopefully you can use this system of grades to begin to push your own limits. IN this class, your learning will be formally assessed using the components above.
That said, I am obliged to evaluate your work, involvement and performance in this class. I don’t shrink from this duty, because I assume that the feedback I give you will be useful as you journey through this learning process.
On the other hand, I don’t assume that you are the sum of your grade in this class. I know your potential far exceeds any grade that’s available in this or any class. Hopefully you can use this system of grades to begin to push your own limits. IN this class, your learning will be formally assessed using the components above.
Communication Arts Department Statement on Hospitality & Cultural Engagement
In this class we encourage you to (as the Communication Arts Department Mission Statement puts it), “act as agents of truth, reflection, transformation and reconciliation.” In film, Christians will always feel the rub of our story, the Gospel, against the other stories people bring into these contexts. Our goal is not to silence these stories, but engage them as a means to embracing the wholeness of the Gospel – a story of compassion and redemption of the human condition.
One result of this commitment is that we will occasionally discuss issue and perhaps even create materials that challenge our own core beliefs and values. We believe a Christian college is the best place to examine such matters, not necessarily as a means to prove the superiority of one position or another, but as a means to understanding.
Whenever possible, we will try to alert you to controversial ideas that may be a part of this class, but we encourage you to demonstrate the grace that Christ did when he encountered brokenness. When you feel defensive, seize that moment as an opportunity for growth and understanding. Also, please come and talk to one of us in an appropriate context.
One result of this commitment is that we will occasionally discuss issue and perhaps even create materials that challenge our own core beliefs and values. We believe a Christian college is the best place to examine such matters, not necessarily as a means to prove the superiority of one position or another, but as a means to understanding.
Whenever possible, we will try to alert you to controversial ideas that may be a part of this class, but we encourage you to demonstrate the grace that Christ did when he encountered brokenness. When you feel defensive, seize that moment as an opportunity for growth and understanding. Also, please come and talk to one of us in an appropriate context.
Communication Arts Department Mission Statement
We, the Communication Arts Department, commit to develop communicators rooted in communities, acting as agents of truth, reflection, transformation and reconciliation in a way that celebrates God’s grace and faithfulness.
Watching Films
The only way you can be prepared for in-class participation is by watching the films prior to the class periods where they will be discussed. Many of the films are available on netflix streaming, though I recommend that you subscribe to the netflix streaming +1 disc if you want to watch the films at your leisure. You can watch the films anytime at the Malone library, and I encourage you to watch them in groups. If you let me know in advance I can even schedule the Student Media Center Storytelling Center for groups to watch your films.
PLEASE make provisions to watch the movie in plenty of time for the class. Do NOT wait until the night before to watch the film -- unless you have the film in your possession. If you bank on the library on the last day, you will inevitably be disappointed.
All of the films we will watch this semester are available through Netflix and Blockbuster online. Like reading any other text to prepare for a seminar class, watching these films for class demands that you “read” them carefully. You should take notes on each film; we will discuss multiple techniques for taking notes in class.
PLEASE make provisions to watch the movie in plenty of time for the class. Do NOT wait until the night before to watch the film -- unless you have the film in your possession. If you bank on the library on the last day, you will inevitably be disappointed.
All of the films we will watch this semester are available through Netflix and Blockbuster online. Like reading any other text to prepare for a seminar class, watching these films for class demands that you “read” them carefully. You should take notes on each film; we will discuss multiple techniques for taking notes in class.
Discussing Grades
I do not discuss the grades I assign on the day that I return them to you. I encourage students to question and be forthright about their questions, but our conversation will proceed more productively if you have at least one night to reflect on my feedback, and construct your response.
Plagiarism and Cheating
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Any instances of plagiarism, cheating, or dishonesty will be dealt with as outlined in the student handbook.
Communication Arts Department Writing Policy
The Communication Arts department policy for all written assignments is that students will receive one grade reduction for more than three errors in grammar, mechanics, syntax, spelling and punctuation.
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