Unit Study: Film Studies: Cinematic Versions of the American Dream

0.5 CREDIT HIGH SCHOOL COURSE/Film Studies

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Think of this unit as a kind of film book club: You will be watching a variety of movies with a central theme in common and using the included questions as conversation starters for your viewing. The primary output for this unit is the film journal, which should reflect on the central questions for the course and the specific questions for each film, as well as the student’s thoughts while watching the film. Though it is not intended to be a formal essay, students should write it as though it will be read by another person. I have included some general recommendations for keeping a viewing journal on the next page. The final project is designed be evaluated work, suitable for including in portfolios or assigning grades. I have included grading suggestions for this assignment, but they are just guidelines; you should obviously feel free to use your own evaluation systems.

There are 10 movies in this unit, which I would cover in 12 weeks — one movie per week for 9 weeks and three weeks for the final project. (You will probably want to re-watch some films for the final project.) Each movie is around 2 hours long, and most of the film journal should be written while watching (or immediately after watching) the film.

This is a high school level unit, designed for students who are already familiar with the basic elements of literature (plot, character, theme, setting, etc.) and who are comfortable applying those skills to texts. Like most high school level curricula, it includes works that could be rated M for Mature. If mature content is a concern for you with your student, I encourage you to preview texts to asses your personal comfort level. (I use these texts with my own high school student and teach them in high school classes, but comfort levels can be very personal things.) This is a completely secular program.

** The movies are not included in this PDF.
You will have to procure them.

This unit would also work well as an extension to a U.S. history or American literature curriculum.

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