COURSE DESCRIPTION
Discover and discuss masterpieces of American cinema in this class for intermediate and advanced English speakers. You’ll watch a film at home on streaming, or borrow the DVD from your local library, before a lively and engaging discussion in class. You’ll be assigned one scene to watch at least three times! Every month you’ll view a film from an influential director so you’ll come to know the stylistic hallmarks of favorite genres and filmmakers. If you love the movies, this course is an enjoyable way to increase vocabulary, get comfortable with idiomatic expressions, improve your conversational skills, and deepen your understanding of American culture and cinema. Tentative film list for the fall term includes:
THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, 1971, with Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Ellen Burstyn, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, and Cybill Shepherd (Available on Amazon Prime and Criterion Collection)
DO THE RIGHT THING, directed by Spike Lee, 1986, with Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson (Available on Amazon Prime and other sites for rental fee)
GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER, directed by Stanley Kramer, 1967, with Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Houghton (Available on Prime Video, Hulu, and Apple TV for a small fee)
NOTE: This course will be held remotely. A Zoom link will be provided for students the day before the course begins. Be sure to check your email for it.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Ellen Feldman grew up in Philadelphia and currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She holds a Ph.D. in cinema studies from New York University and has taught film studies at the State University of New York, Geneseo campus, and Brooklyn College.
