Rather than singling out one particular piece of pedagogy, I’ve chosen to take a few quotes from various syllabi, as a means of conveying the problems with introductory/survey classes in general, and film classes in particular. Part of the problem with film studies is that, as far as I can tell, no one knows what exactly it is. Theory? History? Formal Analysis? Philosophy? Sociology? Psychology?, etc. Deleuze says that cinema should not be a vehicle for thinking philosophy, but for thinking cinema itself through the construction of concepts inherent to film itself. Good for Deleuze, but is it teachable… or more importantly, is it worth teaching? I’m not sure that anyone who teaches film wants to tear film away from “reality,” even if they (as do I) manage to develop the common trope of “See! This is relevant to you!” I’m not sure if this type of statement should read as enthusiasm or a general uncertainty that we instructors have about the merits of such a course. Not that we’d say that it is unimportant.
- Students interested only in recent Hollywood hits are in the wrong class (that’s what video stores are for!) and should drop immediately to make room for serious film students.
o Looking at this again, the whole syllabus is worth taking a gander at. Particularly, the way that this instructor is invested in speaking to potential film scholars rather than everyday students (“True film enthusiasts will want to keep the textbook and online notes for future reference and as a guide for key films to search out for viewing on your own.”). http://www.und.edu/instruct/cjacobs/Intropage.htm
- And as we learn more about how to look and listen and what to look and listen for, we can find more rewards: more to think about, more to appreciate, and even more to enjoy.
- COURSE OBJECTIVE: To acquire and develop an understanding of and a greater appreciation for the art and history of film.
If students are currently invested in recent Hollywood films, why ignore that? While the first quote stinks of class-warfare, the following appear to be too unabashedly liberal; that is, studying film is about appreciation, enjoyment—if you think along the way, all the better. Often times it feels like introductory courses, as ‘film appreciation’ courses rest on convincing students that they only know what they like because they haven’t seen anything else. So, then, we instructors burden ourselves with showing students that they would like foreign films, silent films, B&W films, if they did not just dismiss them without watching them. A noble goal indeed. Are we not, at first glance, producing good middle-class citizens who go on to watch films with subtitles? Is the mere act of convincing students, through force or example, that thinking (about other cinemas) is a worthwhile skill, something to rest our hats on? Or, If the most common stated goal is to familiarize students with film terminology, then how do we work toward creating a specific form of discourse that is not a cutting and pasting of technical terminology? More specifically, and on an unrelated note, how does one engage in the pedagogy of ‘critical thinking,’ without reproducing the inherent class (Marx) markers that accompany the student’s new and lonely role of ‘appreciating’ silent/foreign films IN OPPOSITION TO those who only like the now ‘trash’ nature of modern Hollywood cinema? Or, can we come to some form of 'critical thinking' that is compassionate (i.e., Not Bill Maher's 'YOU ARE IRRATIONAL AND STUPID! of his utterly horrifying Religulous). It's a tantalizing power-role to inhabit as a student, and many of us forget that we are, through the teaching of the canon as being against Hollywood, reproducing this relationship to 'critical thinking.'
For an interesting narrative of an NYU faculty member (not a film-studies person per se) see http://mumpsimus.blogspot.com/2009/12/introduction-to-film-class.html . It is, as far as I can tell, an accurate picture of what goes into designing a smart introductory film course--more about what to include rather than a politics or approach to teaching it. He also has a similar blog post about choosing a film textbook and the politics behind these introductory film texts.
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