Whether as documentaries or mass media, films can engage students and enliven class discussions. Yet if film and televisual media are typically used to support and illustrate disciplinary ideas and facts, how can we elevate these media as primary texts and teach students to engage them in their own terms? Specifically, how can we teach our students to use disciplinary concepts to interpret the material and semantic heterogeneity of films and how can students express rich understandings? Participants take part in sample activities that they can take to their classes, such as using digital video editing to “deconstruct” films while connecting disciplinary ideas with film narratives and forms.
Thursday, January 26, 3:00-5:00 p.m. in 330 Frist

In this lunchtime series, faculty members distinguished for their teaching offer reflections on their own development and practice as teachers. Lunch is provided.
Thursday, March 15, 12:15-1:20 p.m. in 330 Frist: Prof. Melissa Lane (POL)

Teaching statements have become important in academic job searches as more and more colleges and universities are requesting them from applicants for faculty positions. This workshop will introduce participants to the concept of the teaching statement and present recent research on how search committees interpret them. We will also discuss how writing a statement can serve as a valuable means of enhancing one’s own teaching strategies. This workshop will provide a context for participants to start writing their own statements by drafting key elements of them that draw on their teaching experiences and their goals for their students.
Thursday, April 19, 3:30-5:00 p.m. in 330 Frist