Film concentration kicks off in fall

By: Tori Ladd

Posted: 4/22/09

Ever-changing and evolving, NSU modernizes its programs so that students receive the best quality in education.

The department of language and communications located in the college of liberal arts will be offering two new classes in the fall and one new class in the summer.

The courses are part of the new film concentration available in the department of language and communications.

The first new class, "Intro to Film: Film Genres," will be offered this summer by assistant professor and director of graduate studies in English Allen Bauman Ph.D. This class will introduce students to the basic genres of film.

The creator of the second two classes is James Crank, Ph.D, assistant professor of American literature and director of undergraduate studies/director of the NSU Writing Project.

The first class that will be offered in the fall will be Native American literature.

The course will explore Native American culture and literature from the first encounter with European explorers in North America, through the struggle for settlement and relocation, to the 21st century reservation system.

"We'll be looking at books from contemporary writers like Silko, Erdrich and Alexie, as well as poetry, legends, myths, and fiction that covers over two centuries of Native American history," Crank said.

Crank said the Native American class was one he designed in graduate school about five years ago.

"I've been itching to teach it ever since I got my Ph.D., because my research interests in Southern literature and culture dovetail nicely with Native communities, especially the Cherokee/Appalachian connection."

The third class that will be offered is "Modern Drama."

In an e-mail, Crank said the course looks at the critical concept of modernism as explored through 20th and 21st century dramatists.

The class starts in the late nineteenth century, European and American dramatist turned sharply from both the "kitchen-sink realism" of Chekhov and the melodrama of Arnold to a wild experimentation with the form, structure and ritual of the dramatic text, according to the course description from Crank.

The Modern Drama course will also include 20th century modern drama revised and contested traditional tenants of time, space and absurdity.

"In this class, we'll explore this unique drama by looking at dramatists like Pirandello, Beckett, Pinter, Stoppard, Mamet, Shepard and Suzan Lori-Parks," Crank said.

Crank created the Native American literature class last year.

"It's part of a larger subject heading, 'multicultural lit,'" Crank said. "I imagine I will offer it under the headings, 'Asian American Discourse,' 'The Color of Selfhood: African American Literature and Culture,' and 'Rethinking Latino/a.' The modern drama class has been on the books for a while but hasn't been taught in about five years.

To transpire the courses from an idea to reality, Crank formed a syllabus.

"For the Native American lit class, I had to design a syllabus, bibliography, etc. for the Curriculum Review Committee (CRC)," Crank said.

"The proposal went up before the board last year, and they approved it for inclusion into NSU's catalog. After that, it was just trying to fit it into the schedule as soon as possible."

Crank said he chose the texts, but the curriculum was reviewed by the CRC before it was approved.

"It's a good process, and you get a lot of input into the class from multiple disciplines - which ultimately make the class better," Crank said.

Crank feels students will react to him a positive way.

"I don't think I am a typical professor who just stands in one place and lectures," Crank said. "I prefer to interact with students with a variety of different exercises. I am a very laid-back professor - which doesn't mean that the time in class is chaotic or unstructured - but I prefer to let the students guide the discussion and shape the meaning for themselves. I act as a facilitator for that, and when needed, a purposeful moderator."

In the fall of 2010, Crank will be teaching a course on American horror films.