to
 Film 101: Introduction to Film
 Fall 2010
 23 August 2010 - 15 December 2010
 Produced by MiraCosta College     Directed by Gloria Floren

ENROLLED STUDENTS: WELCOME TO FILM 101! 
Our class is conducted in Moodle, not in Blackboard.

BOOKMARK YOUR MOODLE CLASSROOM USING YOUR SECTION NUMBER BELOW.
 (Make sure you click on the section # that you registered for at the college.)
Links will be live by or before the first day of classes, August 23.

SECTION 1881                       |||                      SECTION 1882
                                                          

First, set up an account in Moodle.  To LOG IN to the class, you'll need an enrollment key (a password I send to you  before August 23 via your SURF email address).
(If you have changed your email address, make the correction in SURF; and send a message to film101@miracosta.edu with your correct email address.)
Log into our Moodle Homeroom Online by the end of the first day of classes. 
Students who do not log into class by the first day of classes at MiraCosta College may be dropped as "no shows."
 

MOODLE TUTORIAL
Click on the link above if you are new to Moodle, to get instructions about the course system. 
The tutorial you access was made by Lisa Lane for her online Moodle history class, but it works for the film class, too.

MiraCosta College Moodle Classes for Fall 2010
Click above to see all the courses available in Moodle, including Film 101.

FILM 101 PREVIEW
Click above to get links to the Film 101 syllabus, assignment schedule, grading plan, technical requirements, etc.
Get a quick overview of the class by reading down through the rest of this page.

FILM 101 CATALOG DESCRIPTION.   "An introduction to film as an art form and as a cultural artifact, this course examines content and techniques found in film, historical and stylistic influences on film makers, their artistic values, and the social implications of film. Feature films as well as shorts and animated films are viewed during the course as a basis for critical analysis."  3 units general-education humanities credit, transferable to UC, CSU, and other colleges and universities throughout the world.  Note: This is a film studies class, not a film making class.  Sections 1881 and 1882 are offered totally online.  Please note that these sections of Film 101 are delivered by the Moodle system, NOT BlackBoard.

PLAN FOR SUCCESS THROUGH ATTENDANCE AND MEETING OF DEADLINES.  Plan to log in 2 or more times/week for online lectures, discussions, activities, assignments.  Deadlines  will normally be on 11:30 p.m. Thursdays (mainly for written assignments in discussion areas) and Sundays (for discussion replies, quizzes, and most other assignments).  If you don't like the Thursday and Sunday deadlines, you can choose earlier submission days to fit your schedule of other academic, work, family, etc. activities (for example, if a Tuesday - Friday or Wednesday - Saturday deadline schedule works for you, then the course allows that flexibility).  We will be using a course management system called Moodle, so if you don't already have it, then be sure to download a free Firefox browser now and use it for accessing the film class in Moodle (students report problems with Safari, Chrome, and also sometimes with Internet Explorer).

ENJOY THE LEARNING ACTIVITIES. In a nutshell, the major learning activities of the class for the fall semester are listed below. For more details such as syllabus, calendar, grading, and other information, click here: FILM 101 PREVIEW):  

  • read 12 textbook chapters and online lectures;
  • screen 12-15 films, some required for everyone, some chosen from a list (you are expected to rent your films from local video merchants or online lenders like Netflix, screen them via television if aired when you need them, or buy them from any number of sources, or borrow them from libraries, or friends and family);
  • take 4-6 multiple-choice quizzes, and 2 unit writing quizzes (at midterm and final parts of the class);
  • complete several discussion forum assignments  (initial substantive postings on lessons learned and substantive responses to classmates' postings);
  • complete a semester paper or project, plus planning forums throughout the semester to draft the assignment in stages, and give and get feedback to and from classmates (you will have a choice: complete a creative project, a written plan for an original film based on a story or poem in Tidepools; OR complete a critical analysis, an essay on  three recently released films chosen from a list provided in the course)
  • complete various small assignments throughout the semester;
  • complete some final assessments and assignments in the last two weeks of the semester (the paper and final assignments constitute the "final exam" - there is no other traditional final exam in the class.

WELCOME THE WORKLOAD.  The norm for a 3-unit, transfer-level class is 9 hours per week (this includes 3 hours of time "in class" and 6 hours of "homework").  If 9 hours a week sounds unreasonable to you as a workload, or if you can't handle this university-level learning commitment at this time, or if you don't want a class with a lot of reading and writing this semester, please drop the class now.  If you desire a high-quality learning experience in online Film 101, and are ready to dedicate an average of 9 hours a week for your learning, I welcome you!  Prepare to have some serious fun!

PREPARE FOR SUCCESS. 

  • If the work schedule looks good to you, and if you can dedicate an average of 9 hours each week for learning in this class, please buy your textbooks now: Louis Giannetti's Understanding Movies, 11th edition (we start right off with Chapter One) and Tidepools - Transparency, available only at the college bookstore.  We use both these books right away, so order them early,  BEFORE the semester begins. 
  • An enrollment key will be sent to you so you can come to our Moodle classroom by the first day of the semester.  Be sure to check what email address the college has you down for (it's in SURF); if it's not the address you want to use, please make the correction asap; otherwise, you won't get my enrollment message.
  • Log in the first day of classes (August 23) or before if the class is available and your section is hotlinked above ("Admit One" at your section number).
  • To find out how previous Film 101 students have evaluated the course, click here: Former Students Say. . .  
THIS CLASS IS IN  MOODLE, NOT BLACKBOARD.  This class is not a Blackboard class, because another learning system, called "Moodle," is superior for Film 101.  Use the Firefox browser, and bookmark your section number (above) as soon as it becomes a hotlink (check back just before the semester begins).

JUST BROWSING?  INTERESTED IN ENROLLING BUT CLASS CLOSED?

Read through the  Film 101-CyberCinema Preview; this page will includes links to the syllabus and the proposed semester schedule of assignments, to make sure this is the class for you.  To find out how previous Film 101 students have evaluated the course, click here: Former Students Say. . .   Get thoroughly familiar with all the links on the MiraCosta College Distance Education page.  If you are interested, register at MiraCosta College; do this early in the registration period, because the film classes fill fast.  Please make sure that SURF has your correct email address so that you get important information, like passwords to the online classroom in Moodle).  CLASS CLOSED? Read about what to do at the MiraCosta Distance Education page.

For information about film happenings in and around San Diego, click here: San Diego Film Scene.

Created 04 December 1997 by Gloria Floren. Revised 17 August 2010.  Contents Copyright 1997-2010 Gloria L. Floren. All rights reserved. 
Letters Department, MiraCosta College, One Barnard Drive, Oceanside, California 92056. U.S.A.
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