English through Film

Fall Quarter 2008

Instructor: Carol Mckee

Office: R130R

Office Hours: 10:30-11:20 T,W,TH and by appointment

E-mail: cmckee@bellevuecollege.edu

Phone: (425) 564-4038

Materials:

Portable English-English dictionary

8 ½ X 11 lined white paper for all work

A three-ringed binder for this course

Course Description:

This highly interactive course is for very high intermediate to advanced students. The class will be divided into three sections. The first part focuses on listening comprehension, learning film vocabulary, reading and writing movie reviews, and analyzing films from a variety of perspectives as a class. The second part involves students working in small groups to complete a film analysis on their own, culminating in a written and oral presentation of the analysis. The third part of the course will be devoted to students working in small groups to write, direct, and produce a short film. At the end of the quarter this class will combine with the other film class to show the films and receive awards for best picture, best actor, best cinematography, etc.

Outcomes:

At the end of this course students will be able to:

• follow dialogue in a film
• understand vocabulary in context
• use non-verbal clues to understand meaning
• identify plot, narrative, point of view, and theme
• identify setting and it’s relevance to the film
• identify aspects of mise-en-scene in films (sets, lighting, costumes, etc)
• understand the importance of composition, shots, editing, and sound to the viewer’s response to a film
• use different methods of analyzing films including genre and historical, social, and cultural contexts
• summarize the plot
• express opinions about the concepts in films using support from the film
• review a film using support from the film and film terminology
• recognize their own biases and values through reflection
• recognize different perspectives on issues

Assignments and Grading:

Part 1- Witness = 200 points

Plot writing = 25 points

Character descriptions = 25 points

Description of time and setting and it relevance to the movie = 25 points

Explanation of main ideas/themes =25 points

Explanation of historical, social, cultural context =25 points

Explanation of important vocabulary = 25 points

Movie review = 50 points

Part 2- Group movie review- 200 points

Explanation of Group Movie Analysis Project:

This project should demonstrate that you know the meaning of plot, characters, setting and time, themes, context and can apply them to any film. It should also show that you can identify key vocabulary words and idioms from a film and write a movie review.

Part 3- Group Film- 200 points

Explanation of Group Film-making Project:

This project will require the group to work together to produce a 10- minute film. This will involve writing the dialog, creating the scenes, acting the parts, shooting the scenes with a camera, and editing.

A = 550-600

B = 549-500

C = 499-450

D = 449-400   (not passing)

F = 399-0        (not passing)

In order to get full points for these assignments, the assignments must be of a high quality. Just turning in an assignment does not guarantee full points!

Attendance:

· Please don’t miss class, especially when you are in the middle of a group project. Your absence affects everyone. If you must be absent, make sure you find out what you missed and bring any missed work with you the very next time you attend class. You should contact me and/or your group to let us know when you will return to class.

· Students with 10 or 11 absences will automatically get a “D” grade for the class. Students missing 12 classes will get an “F” grade. Five tardies of 5 or more minutes = one absence.

Tips for success:

· Your success and the success of the class depend on the participation and energy you bring to it each day. Come ready to listen, talk, think, and have fun!

· Please don’t eat or drink in class. Bottles with screw caps are okay, however.

· Please turn off all cell phones before you come into class.

· If there is anything you don’t understand, please ask me to explain.

· It’s important to keep up with your assignments. Late assignments will be marked down one letter grade.

· If you are having trouble in the class please let me know right away so that I can help you. You are always welcome to drop by my office.

· Check out this cool website! www.imdb.com;

Students With Special Needs:

Students with disabilities who have accommodation needs are required to meet with the Disability Support Services (DSS) office, room B233-G (telephone 425.564.2498 or TTY 425.564.4110), to establish their eligibility for accommodation.  The DSS office will provide each eligible student with an accommodation letter. Students who require accommodation in class must review the DSS accommodation letter with each instructor during the first week of the quarter.