Course Syllabus
Film Studies: American Film Survey

Description

American Film Survey is an exciting journey through what is arguably this country's most influential and beloved art form: cinema. Among the classic film genres examined are western, comedy, epic, musical, drama, film noir, crime, war, and action film. Through viewings, applying theory and engaging in written critiques, the student follows the evolution of cinema within the context of our culture and history. Prominent directors and actors both contemporary and past are highlighted. Students show their learning through creative projects, discussion boards, quizzes and a final exam, all of which aim to encourage critical thinking about the role and influence of film in our society. Prerequisites:  Students must be able to write at a high school level and be age 13 or older

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...

• Identify and evaluate the conventions of a specific genre
• Recognize influential aspects of film on our culture
• Explain and determine the importance of setting in a film
• Recognize and explain how film genres have changed over time
• Interpret how our society has influenced films
• Explain and determine the importance of a character or types of characters in a film
• Identify the narrative and plot points in a film
• Create a presentation of a film analysis or an aspect of a film
• Explain and determine the importance of songs in musicals
• Identify and determine the importance of themes in a film
• Identify and determine the importance of character relationships in a film
• Assess the audience perception of a character in a film
• Evaluate the influence of a particular film on a genre
• Compare and contrast a film with a real-life story
• Justify your opinion of what makes a film successful
• Write a film analysis

Course Outline:

Unit 1 – Film of your choice

Unit 2 – The Western

Unit 3 – The Comedy

Unit 4 – The Epic

Unit 5 – The Musical

Unit 6 – The Drama

Unit 7 – Film Noir

Unit 8 – Crime/Gangster

Unit 9 – War/Anti-War

Unit 10 – Action/Adventure

Resources Included: Online lesson instruction and activities, opportunities to engage with a certified, online instructor and classmates, when appropriate, and online assessments to measure student performance of course objectives and readiness for subsequent academic pursuits.

Additional Costs: Access to a video rental establishment or online streaming service such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Apple TV, Google Play, Fandango, etc. Students should be aware that they will need to rent or purchase movies and watch them in order to complete assignments in this course.

Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue diplomas. A final score out of total points earned will be submitted to your school mentor for conversion to their own letter grading system.

Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.

Technology Requirements: Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube.

Ensure that your school or district network and device administrator whitelists online resources relevant to the course in which you are choosing to enroll. Ref., Michigan Virtual Course Whitelist

Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/

Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at CustomerCare@michiganvirtual.org or by phone at (888) 889-2840.

Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.

Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at customercare@michiganvirtual.org or by phone at (888) 889-2840.

Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building, discussion-based assessments (one-on-one conversations with your teacher), and other forms of authentic assessments.

Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:

• Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
• Download and install software
• Use a messaging service similar to email
• Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
• Open attachments shared in messages
• Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
• Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
• Save a file as a .pdf
• Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
• Insert images or links into a file or html editor
• Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
• Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
• Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
• Use presentation and graphics programs
• Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
• Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
• Create and maintain usernames and passwords

Additional Information: Students must be able to write at a high school level and be age 13 or older. Students should be aware that they will need to rent or purchase movies and watch them in order to complete assignments in this course.