Instructor: Kenneth Verosub, Department of Geology, College of Letters and Science
Description: There are certain films (such as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off; Pretty Woman, or The Blues Brothers), that we just can’t resist watching. No matter how busy we are, no matter what else we have to do, when these films are on TV, we can always find twenty minutes to watch some of our favorite scenes. In most cases, these aren’t “great films” or “great performances”. So what makes them irresistible? In this seminar we will try to understand what is so special about these films. We will start by looking at some of the films the instructor loves to watch. We will then compare his list of “guilty pleasures” with other people’s lists (and watch some of the films from their lists). Our goal will be to understand what the films on these lists have in common and what they tell us about ourselves. As a final exercise, students will be asked to develop a screenplay for a film that has what it takes to become a film we love to watch. The primary goal for student learning will be to demonstrate that films, which students have probably only considered as a means of entertainment, can be the subject of serious discourse and analysis. A secondary goal will be for students to discover how films can tell us something about ourselves and the culture(s) in which we live. Both of these goals will help awaken in first-year students an understanding of the possibilities inherent in looking critically and analytically at the world around them.
Format: The class will be taught as an informal discussion. At times the instructor will lead the discussion; at other times, the students will lead or will make more formal presentations. Viewing of films will take place, for the most part, outside of class. Class time will be spent discussing short clips that will be shown in class. Students will be expected to view at least one full-length film before each meeting of the class and to prepare for a discussion about it. They will also be expected to illustrate the points they make in class by showing short clips from the film. For this reason, access to a DVD player is useful, but not required. Grading: Half of the grade will be based on the extent and quality of participation in the class discussions. The other half of the grade will be based on the quality of an oral audio-visual group presentation that students will be required to make at the end of the seminar.
About the Instructor: Ken Verosub is a professor in the Geology Department and the former director of the Davis Honors Challenge. In his research he uses the magnetic properties of sediments and soils as tracers of paleoclimate and other environmental processes. He finds it hard to resist watching certain films even when he has to prepare a lecture for 220+ students in Geology 1.