What can films teach us about ethical dilemmas? Are some of Hollywood's sci-fi hits scientifically plausible? Can Native American filmmakers effectively challenge the status quo? This summer, UM's Teaching with Film Institute is offering six short courses that will assess answers to these and other questions designed to effectively integrate film into the classroom.
The Institute's three-credit courses are ideal for students interested in films relating to their areas of interest, and for teachers who want to deepen students' interest in and understanding of course material through the introduction of film. All courses may be taken for undergraduate or graduate credit.
For more information, contact Sean O'Brien, Director of the Teaching with Film Institute, at 406.243.5791 or e-mail sean.o'brien@mso.umt.edu.
This course harnesses one of the most powerful forms of media - film. Film has the ability to transport people mentally to locations and remote regions they may never otherwise have the opportunity to experience. Cultural geography is defined as the study of people and their ways of life in different parts of the world. The universal messages in the films students will enable them to transcend regional, economic, ethnic, cultural, and religious distinctions that often separate people from their fellow citizens. Students will also take a closer look at selected problems in cultural geography as exhibited through film. GEOG 495.80 or ENFM 495.85, 3 cr., June 22-July 3.
Is Harry Potter a good chemist? Could the Star Wars X-wings really turn on a dime? Are Superman's feats more plausible than we might think? While science fiction films let our imagination take flight, how much of what is portrayed in these fanciful settings a reasonable extrapolation of an established scientific principle? This course will scrutinize certain classic and contemporary films in order to determine how well the filmmakers knew their science. We will both laugh at and learn from some of the great scientific gaffes in film history. CHEM 495.80 or ENFM 495.81, 3 cr., July 13-19.
What do Fight Club, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors have in common? Not only are all three examples of expert filmmaking, but each of these films also implicitly or explicitly poses answers to the question of how moral character is formed. In this intensive one-week class, students examine these and other films in light of a variety of theories that focus on the development of virtue. PHIL 444.80 or ENFM 495.83, 3 cr., July 13-19.
When viewed with a critical eye, films on past and/or distant societies inform viewers about the culture portrayed as well as the culture that gave rise to the portrayal. In this course, students examine both dramatic and documentary films on Native Alaskans, Australian Aborigines and chimpanzee societies, learning to distinguish fact from fiction as they go. ANTH 495.80 or ENFM 495.80, 3 cr., July 20-26.
Most of us are familiar with typical Hollywood representations of Native Americans in film, but much less familiar with films made by Native Americans themselves. Do these films engage in or confront our history? Who is their audience? How can they affect change or challenge the status quo? In this class students explore a broad range of Native American film genres emphasizing important directors, writers, and actors. Students discuss how to use these films in the classroom to address issues of representation, as well as social and political issues of importance to Native communities. NAS 495.80 or ENFM 495.82, 3 cr., July 20-26.
This one-week intensive introduction to the basics of video production focuses on the fundamental principles involved in writing, directing, shooting and editing a dramatic short. Students produce and complete a short video drama over the course of one week. This is an ideal course for teachers who want to integrate low-technology video projects into their classroom, and for students and professionals wanting hands-on production experience. MAR 495.82 or ENFM 495.84, 3 cr. July 20-26.
