ENGL 2860: Introduction to Film Course Common Cartridge
Overview
This resource contains a downloadable common cartridge file for ENGL 2860: Intorduction to Film. The entire course is a true OER remix, containing original OER materials as well as OERs adopted or adapted from other authors. The course includes links to films via Motlow's Kanopy Collection as well as videos, lectures, gloassries, assessments, and rubrics.. The course is an overview of film history using selected works from world cinema and introduces the basic elements of film expression and analysis while also examining how films reflect their cultural and historical context and the extent to which films reflect the diversity of human experience across multiple time periods and cultural perspectives.
Project Planning
Our OER Goals & Purpose: Why are you doing this OER Project and what are you hoping to accomplish?
Our Audience: Who are you designing this OER Project for and what are their learning needs and preferences?
Our Team: Who is on your OER Project Team and what are their roles and responsibilities?
Existing Resources: What existing resources can you utilize for your OER Project? You can curate these resources in our Group Folders
New Resources: What new resources will you need for your OER Project?
Supports Needed: What additional supports do you need to complete your OER Project? Do you need to gather more research and data to inform the design of your OER Project?
Our Timeline: What deadlines do you have for your OER Project deliverables? OER Project needs to be piloted by Spring 2025 term and uploaded to the TBR Group on the Tennessee Open Education Hub by January 15, 2025
Tennessee Open Education Planning
We aim to add a General Education Core Humanities option at Motlow through the creation of an Introduction to Film course. This course will leverage students' existing knowledge and experience with film, a Fine Art, to provide a Humanities option that engages students and offers practical, real-world applications. We anticipate this will enhance student excitement and positively impact retention and progression.
Our course targets incoming freshmen who must complete learning support requirements and need general education core courses without prerequisites to register as full-time students. It offers an additional Humanities option that builds on students' familiarity with film, making it potentially more appealing. The course will be designed to accommodate students in learning support courses by including assessments that do not require extensive experience with academic writing.
The team collaborated on course outcomes. Team leader, Wes Spratlin, is responsible for the selection of the primary and secondary texts in the course. Dr. Will Murphy is responsible for the creation of unit and module objectives as well as ensuring that assessments align with module, unit, course, and TBR Fine Arts/Humanities Outcomes.
Our existing resources include the following:
Sharman, Russell, Moving Pictures: An Introduction to Cinema, https://uark.pressbooks.pub/movingpictures/
Moss, Yelizaveta and Candice Wilson, Film Appreciation, https://alg.manifoldapp.org/projects/film-appreciation
Various resources available via YouTube
In terms of new resources, we are creating weekly module Terms/Concepts Glossaries that will provide the module’s major terms and concepts along with definitions and examples in the form of still pictures or brief videos. As much as possible, these examples will feature stills and clips form the primary film featured in the module for that week. For example, Module 5 focuses on Truffaut’s, The 400 Blows, and introduces the concept of camera movement, so the definition of a Tracking Shot in the weekly glossary will feature the famous low-angle tracking shot that opens The 400 Blows
Regarding needed support, our Dean of Libraries is using her budget to subscribe to Kanopy, a widely-used subscription service for academic and public library patrons. Kanopy will not provide the students with the 12 primary films we will cover in the class, but it’s clip feature will allow us to create clips from those films for use in our module Terms/Concepts Glossaries. In addition, we will need the help of various Motlow State departments and offices to promote the course and to educate students, faculty, Success Coaches, and Advisors regarding the course before pre-registration for the spring semester. In terms of course design/delivery assessment, we will rely on guidance and assistance from Motlow’s Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we are relying on TBR’s General Education Core Committee to provide guidance toward the acceptance of the course as a Humanities option at Motlow for the 2025-2026 catalog.
Our Timeline:
Aug. 30 Meet with Nancy Stano for update/consultation
Sept. 5 Meet with Academic Technologies regarding Kanopy app and Motlow Hub
Sept. 10 Meet with Academic. Affairs to ensure 2024-25 catalog is correct
Sept. 15 Submit application to TBR for Humanities designation
Oct. 1 Meet with Student Success to discuss how to advertise course for spring
Oct. 7 Submit application for Global Awareness HIP designation
Oct. 15 All course materials finished and added to shell
Oct. 15 Present course to Nancy Stano for feedback
Oct. 15 Present course to select ENGL and Humanities faculty for feedback
Dec. 1 Upload course to TN Open Ed Programs & Projects site
Jan. 13 Formally present course to Languages and Humanities faculty
Course Description
This course provides an overview of film history using selected works from world cinema. The course introduces the basic elements of film expression and analysis while also examining film’s social impact as a medium and demonstrating the diversity of human experience across multiple time periods and cultural perspectives.
Reflection
Please reflect and share any observations and insights you noticed as a result of this OER Project, such as student engagement and impact.