Lecture 1:
Taking an Online Course and
Course Introduction
Professor Aaron Baker
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Professor Aaron Baker
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Associate Professor, Film and Media
Studies, Arizona State University
I teach courses in Film Studies, Film
History and Cultural Theory.
I have written books on sports films
and director Steven Soderbergh.
Currently, I am editing a collection of
essays on filmmaker Martin Scorsese.
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In This Lesson
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What kind of
distance learning
course is this?
How can you
succeed?
Assignments
What do we study
in this course?
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Part I: What kind of distance
learning course is this?
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It’s Not an Automated Course
It’s Not a Self-Paced Course
This Course Emphasizes Interactivity
– Asynchronous
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Participation is Fundamental to the
Success of Our Course
Discussion Board
Hint: Take the Self-Evaluation of Online Students. It’ll help you better
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understand how your learning style meets the demand of this environment.
The Advantages of this Course
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Flexibility… Not Limited by Time,Space
Study Materials Available 24/7
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Lectures (streaming audio w/ PowerPoint)
Media Clips
Interactive discussion board
But Structured Like a Traditional Course
(Lectures, Readings, Films, Essays, Exam)
Complements Multiple Learning Styles
(Auditory, Visual, Independent,
Collaborative)
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How to succeed (get an “A”) in
this course
Take
Taking An Online Class: Part II
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Course Organization
Each lesson contains:
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Assigned Reading
Screening of Film
Website
Lecture
Clips
Interactivity (Discussion Board)
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Forms of Interactivity
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Threaded
Discussions on
the eBoard
Two Posts for
Each Lesson:
-Answer Question
-Dialogue
E-mail
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Keys To Success:
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Go through the Website, or Virtual
Classroom. Get to Know It Well
Keep up with All Lesson Tasks
Do Assignments Carefully,
Thoroughly, and Turn Them in on
Time
Get to Know Your Classmates
Discuss with Rigor & Respect
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Assignments
Taking An Online Class: Part III 10
Participation
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Participation is 25% of Your Final Grade
Participation Grade is Based On:
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Keeping Up with Two Discussion Board Posts
per Lesson
– Quality of Posts - how rigorous, critical and
original they are; also how well they engage
lesson materials such as the screening,
readings, lecture and clips.
– Being on time with the Posts
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Critical Papers
•You will write two critical papers in this
course that will count as 50% of your grade.
•Descriptions of these two essays (due after
Lessons 6 and 12) will be sent to you via e
mail and be posted on the eboard.
•They are also available under Graded Work
on the course site.
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Exam
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There is also a cumulative exam for the
course which total 25% of your grade.
It will cover:
– Readings, lectures, assigned films
– Be a combination of fill in the blank,
identification, short answer & essay questions
– Be due to me via e-mail
– No late exams!
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Exam
• You will do well on the exam if you take
good notes during the lectures, keep up with
the readings, watch the films and participate
on the eBoard.
• It will be very difficult for you to do well if you
get behind!
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What Do We Study in This
Class?
Matewan (1987) directed by John Sayles
Taking An Online Class: Part IV 15
Two Aspects in Every Film:
Content and Form
• Content – What the
story is about
• Form – How the film
tells its story
• The two are
inextricable in film as
in any art form – you
can’t have one without
the other.
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Film Content
• What the film is about,
its story.
• All films are created by
people and are
therefore historical,
subjective & political.
• Even if unintended,
everyone tells stories
from their experience,
their perspective.
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Film Form
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Narrative Structure
Mise-en-scene
Cinematography
Editing
Sound
These are the tools of film; the
techniques that are used to tell the story
in the movie.
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International and American
Films
• Using the Form
and Content
Distinction
• We’ll Analyze
Both American
and
International
Films
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Critic Jonathan Rosenbaum:
“Foreign movies have important things
to teach us . . . . They’re proof positive
that Americans aren’t the only human
beings and that the decisions we make
about how to live our lives aren’t the
only options available.” Movie Wars,
page 108
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Six Things to Remember
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Go through the Website, or Virtual
Classroom, with Care; Know it Well
Keep up with all Lesson Tasks
Turn Assignments in on Time, Written
at a College Level
Get to Know Your Classmates
Discuss with Rigor & Respect
Enjoy yourself! It’s film, after all.
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Next Time: What is Film?,
How Are Movies Made and
Seen?
• Starting Point
• Define Our
Subject
• Film as
Business and
as Art
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End of Lecture 1
Chris Cooper in Matewan
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