Argues that teachers who use film in the English classroom need to be aware of its conventions and apply these conventions to critical analysis. Discusses camera angles, distance, composition, lighting, camera movements, editing, and sound. (SR)

This paper explores possibilities of using the feature film, "American History X," to illustrate and assist in teaching principles of self-concept in an introduction to interpersonal communication course. The paper: (1) summarizes the plot of the film; (2) outlines and defines principles of self-concept that can be discussed in…

Deconstruction is a critical literary theory which focuses on the unintentional meanings of a text and aims to achieve an unprejudiced, value-free vision of the social and political power structures in society that combine to produce the text. The development of such critical skills in advertising students will deepen their ability to judge the…

One educator's interdisciplinary interests in literature, film, and culture studies led him to the establishment of "Film Study," an upper school English course in which students develop a sense of "film literacy" through detailed "reading" of visual images; in addition, students evolve a working critical vocabulary…

Describes how the author uses the character George from the television comedy "Seinfeld" to offer her students a challenging inquiry into cultural studies in relation to television character analysis. Describes how the author uses a particular episode to discuss the relation between George's workplace travails and broader issues of…

The use of film to supplement course material can be an excellent way to stimulate critical thinking. Film can be a particularly useful tool in the interpersonal communication course since students are able to observe both the verbal and nonverbal behaviors of the characters. However, discussion prior to and following the film is important, so…

Argues that educators must acknowledge that television has the power to elicit student empathy and that students want to understand television's power to move them. Describes three kinds of television analysis: individual detailed logs of text; group dialogue about television programing; and researched essays documenting and interpreting details…

Composition instructors need to emphasize to their students that persuasion is not always announced--it can be forcefully present in so-called "objective" forms of discourse like textbooks and news. News photographs can be successfully used in the composition classroom as a unit of study in visual rhetoric to introduce students to the…

Discusses how to teach critical thinking about television and describes methods used in a college class on television analysis. Two approaches are examined: television content analysis, with an example of sports commentary; and analyzing television viewing, including a questionnaire developed by students. (five references) (LRW)

This guide is designed to promote discussion of any photograph with students, whether encountered in the classroom, in textbooks, or in other school materials. The guide contains a one-page handout which uses Dorothea Lange's photograph "White Angel Breadline" to discuss 10 photographic elements: aesthetic elements, punctum, title,…

This paper outlines the fourth-year film appreciation course at Rand College of Education in Johannesburg, South Africa, designed to develop a greater critical awareness in students so they are able to distinguish between good and mediocre film and video material. Some attempt is made to establish what qualifies material to be regarded as…

A film presented as factual may permit critical responses that question its purported factual objectivity and political neutrality. In class, Hans-Georg Gadamer's concept of effective-historical consciousness can be used to evaluate the allegedly propagandistic messages in Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will." Analysis of this 1934…

Everyone sees through advertisements, yet no one is immune from their appeal. In a writing class the students were able to look at ads without being injured or seduced by them, but doubted that others could do the same. It is important to encourage students to discuss what they actually think about writings rather than what they are supposed to…

Shows how learning, in an art appreciation class, can be more meaningful and lasting by emphasizing expressive outcomes that develop during class and reflect students' life experiences. Explains how teachers can take advantage of students' spontaneously generated questions. Provides four examples from an undergraduate class that can be applied at…