Teaching English with films appears to be a rather obvious choice – by now, screening film adaptations of novels or using documentary films to convey knowledge about other countries has become an established practice in the EFL classroom. And with good reason: films are an accessible and multi-faceted way to introduce a great variety of topics, and they foster various relevant competences and hone important skills.
This course will focus on teaching English with films from a multiliteracies perspective. Films are cultural artefacts in their own right - and learning how to understand them is highly relevant in an increasingly audio-visual world. The seminar will therefore be concerned with the different aspects of film literacy: it will cover the basics of film analysis for teachers and for the classroom, touch upon the most relevant aspects of film history and film production, and discuss different activities for engaging with films by applying a competency based and critical approach.
Participants are required to work on several individual and group assignments, prepare presentations, and attend regular digital sessions on Zoom. Beside reading secondary literature each week, participants are further required to watch several feature length films (t.b.a., depending on accessibility) in preparation for the online sessions and the assignments. |
