American Film Survey is an exciting journey through what is arguably this country's most influential and beloved art form: cinema. Among the classic film genres examined are film noir, western, comedy, military, epic, psychological drama and independent film. Through viewing, theory and written critique, the student follows the evolution of cinema within the context of our culture and history. Prominent directors and actors both contemporary and past are also highlighted. The culmination of this course prepares the student for more advanced film studies, promotes the development of written expression and analysis and encourages critical thinking with regard to the relationship between popular art and society. Prerequisites: None
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
• identify and evaluate the conventions of a specific genre
• identify and evaluate styles associated with a specific genre
• encourage critical thinking about film as it relates to our culture and ourselves
Course Outline:
Unit 1 - Film of your choice
Unit 2 – The Western
Unit 3 – The Comedy
Unit 4 – The Epic
Unit 5 – The Musical
Unit 6 - The Drama
Unit 7 - Film Noir
Unit 8 - Crime/Gangster
Unit 9 - War/Anti-War
Unit 10- Action/Adventure
Resources Included: N/A
Additional Costs: Access to a video rental establishment or online streaming service such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Apple TV, Google Play, Fandango, etc. Students should be aware that they will need to rent movies (DVD or digitally streamed) and watch them in order to complete this course.
Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue transcripts or diplomas. A final score reported as a percentage of total points earned will be sent to students upon completion of a course. Your school mentor is also able to access this score within the Student Learning Portal. Schools may use this score for conversion to their own letter grading system.
Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.
Technology Requirements: Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/
Students must also have access to YouTube.
Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.
Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments.
Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:
- Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
- Download and install software
- Use a messaging service similar to email
- Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
- Open attachments shared in messages
- Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
- Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
- Save a file as a .pdf
- Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
- Insert images or links into a file or html editor
- Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
- Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
- Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
- Use presentation and graphics programs
- Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
- Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
- Create and maintain usernames and passwords
Additional Information: Students must be able to write at a high school level and be over the age of 13. Students should be aware that they will need to rent or purchase movies (streaming services or DVDs) and watch them in order to complete this course.