Classroom activities intentionally focus on students' social-emotional development in addition to academic skills. Any liberal arts education ought to embed opportunities in the curriculum for students to practice the skills and understandings necessary to communicate, collaborate, and otherwise interact with their peers. Students will often work in pairs and groups to accomplish a shared goal, and throughout the class will be asked to present their interpretive arguments to the class. For instance, students will work together on a storyboarding sequence designed to elicit a specific mood or theme. Topics related to film are often controversial and emotional, and developing the maturation to handle these issues in a civil academic atmosphere remains the major area of social and emotional development related to this subject. All topics that students confront with great depth and complexity will render possibilities to develop values, social-emotional awareness, and understandings; this course both creates and capitalizes on teachable moments.
1. Chronological Thinking: Student can place films within their historic context.
2. Comprehension: Student can read visual language of film and interprets how stories are told cinematically.
3. Analysis and Interpretation: Student can identify themes in films and narrative conveyed through editing
4. Research Capabilities: Student can incorporate elements behind the production of films into understanding their content
5. Issues: Student can analyze the social and cultural significance of films in American society and history