Understanding Film Culture and History (5 Weeks)

In this class students will co-constructively build off of their background knowledge of film by watching and analyzing movie genres and narratives to understand how cinema and society impact each other. Additionally, students will learn about and discuss how technology has changed the way in which films are made and viewed by audiences. From week to week, as students engage these topics of discussion through a series of dynamic activities, they will be able to improve their four language skills of English as they gain greater insight into this beautifully unique medium of art. In an era when movie theaters are closing down and film viewing is drastically changing, it is important to appreciate the important role that films play in our lived experiences.

Students will be able to improve their four skills of English by viewing, discussing, and critical analyzing past and present films from around the world.

No required textbook

David Phillips

David Phillips earned his MAT in Applied Linguistics from the University of Southern California and has been working as an Academic English Instructor at Temple University Japan since 2016 and started working at Seikei University from April 2023. In addition to his university work, he also serves as an examiner for the Eiken Foundation of Japan throughout the year. Prior to living and teaching in Japan, he taught sociocultural anthropology to first-year undergraduates at the University of Washington and Intensive English courses at Seattle Pacific University for 5 years. David is focused on continuing to apply a sociocultural approach to every class lesson as a way to utilize student background knowledge and build co-created classrooms in which every student has opportunities to contribute and actively participate. When he is not teaching or publishing works on adapting materials for cultural responsiveness and autonomous learner development, David is working toward completing a doctorate degree in English Pedagogy at Murray State University and producing episodes for his YouTube channel called, "The Rhythm Circuit," which features a global listening base.