English 4: Film as Literature

Name:

English 4: Film as Literature (ENGL420)
Department:

Language Arts
Credits:

1.0 (yearlong course)
Suggested Prerequisites:

English 3: American Literature (ENGL300) or Equivalent

English 4: Film as Literature

Description:

Film as Literature is a full-year, broad-based English course that uses films as the literature that students explore. In the same way that any other English class requires students to read literature and use it as a learning tool, this course also asks students to “read” films by studying them closely. Students will watch a wide variety of films in the course, using them as the anchor texts for course activities and assignments. Course work will lead students through activities designed to develop skills in reading comprehension, writing, listening, and speaking. Writing is a significant component of the course, and students can expect to be writing narrative, expository, and persuasive pieces at a level of sophistication appropriate to the twelfth-grade level.

Special Notes:

A current list of films in the course can be located on the syllabus available by contacting [email protected] and requesting the syllabus for ENGL420 English 4 : Film as Literature

FROM THE TEACHER

Film as Literature is an exciting new course that combines the fun of watching films with the rigor of an upper-level English course. You might be wondering…is this a film course or an English course? The answer is—it’s both! In this course, you’ll learn about features of filmmaking, such as lighting, camera work, and voice-over, while you also expand your English communication skills. You’ll determine what it means to be a wise consumer of media as you watch documentaries, animated films, dramatic films, adaptations, classic films, and many others. However, there is much more to this course than movies; with a strong emphasis on academic writing, the course will help you to become the best researcher and writer you can be. You’ll also have opportunities to express your creativity in narrative writing, choice projects, and a film review. This course is a great way to prepare for college while studying a unique integration of film and literature.

If there are books and materials for this course, they can be purchased from our Online Bookstore.

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Student Feedback

Film as Literature is an out-of-the-box English class that allows you to explore films and analyse them in an eye-opening and engaging way. Projects are creative and fun to do, and the workload is manageable.

This course combines written text with film to deepen your understanding of literature and story-telling. These various resources allow you to think deeper as you write your own film reviews, make your own documentary, and write a short, narrative story. The course is extremely organized and easy to follow, and it is perfect class to grow in your skill of writing and analyzing.

Thank you so very much for this course. [Student] really enjoyed it. This course was much better for her learning style and for the dyslexia issues and she learned so much. I, personally, appreciated that she was able to learn how to analyze literature in this course. I will admit I was a little skeptical about how you were going to do that using films instead of books, but you have convinced me. Plot, character development, how to write an engaging story… it was all there