End of Semester Overview: IAH 209 Horror Cinema

Throughout the semester in IAH209 Horror Cinema, we have viewed and discussed horror movies made during roughly the last half century, from George A. Romero's debut Night of the Living Dead (1968) right up to Jordan Peale's Get Out (2017) and Us (2019). We have also pondedered various related questions. For instance, WHy do we enjoy being scared? WHat keeps us coming back for more? What can movies like these tell us about ourselves?

We have approached many of the films making up IAH209 Horror Cinema from a social and historical perspective. How are particular movies like The Stepford Wives (1975), Carrie (1976), The Thing (1982, or The Fly (1986) marked by the worries, concerns, and anxieties of their times? What might films like Videodrome (1983) or American Psycho (2000) suggest about the times in which they were made or set? Likewise, we have looked at other films in terms of how they might challenge our ideas about gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, or social class. Consider Alien (1979), Let the Right One In (2000), or Get Out (2017). In that sense, the horror film genre can be said to be political. It is not always just gory, grisly entertainment

Typical Classroom Activities INcluded:

The classroom in IAH209 Horror Cinema was typically a pretty busy place, with students taking charge of their own learning though activities like:

1) Individual Reflection on Course Materials

2) Think-Pair-Share Activities

3) Mixers

4) Kaleidoscope Trio Discussions

5) Periods of Quiet Reflection and Brief Written Summaries of Learning

6) Small Group ‘Jigsaw’ Discussions

7) Monte Carlo Quizzes

8) Final ‘Integrative’ Reflections and/or Reflection on Work Habits at End of Each Meeting

Thinking Critically about Course Materials

Typically, we examined one of the assigned readings for any given day in more detail using a series of questions devised by The Foundation for Critical Thinking. These were intended to help us come to better grips with, and attain a deeper understanding of, what we read and how it might apply to the related film for the day. The critical thinking questions, which you discussed in your student learning teams, included:

1) The main purpose of this reading is __________?

2) The key question the author addresses is __________?

3) The most important information in this article is __________?

4) The main inferences/conclusions in this article are __________?

5) The key concept(s) we need to understand in this article is (are) __________?

6) The main assumption(s) underlying the author’s thinking is (are) __________?

7) If we accept (or reject) this line of reasoning, the wider implications are __________?

8) The main point(s) presented in this article is (are) __________?

From: Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools, The Foundation for Critical Thinking (2014)

A variety of Team Projects

Students in IAH209 Horror Cinema were kept busy outside class too. You developed and completed a number of projects intended both to broaden their knowledge about horror cinema and think more deeply about it. Student learning Team assignments included:

1) Collaborative ‘Newscast’ Reviews of Two Journal Articles (Week 5)

2) Collaborative 35 to 45-minute Team-led Class Discussions (From Week (Week 10)

3) Storyboards for planned 3-5 minute horror film 'shorts' (Week 10)

4) Prezi E-posters on Various Aspects of Horror Cinema (Week 15)

5) Two-page Individual Semester Reflections (Week 15)

Thinking about Your Thinking and the Processes Behind Your SLT Projects

Course meetings in IAH209 Horror Cinema typically featured quiet time at the start of class, at roughly the halfway point, and again at the end most classes for students to reflect on their learning for the day and attempt to connect their new knowledge to prior knowledge. Collaborative team reflections were also part of each formal Student Learning Team assignment throughout the semester. The final project of the semester involved individual reflections written by each student on their work habits, choices, processes, favorite projects, and what they learned through all of this during the course of the semester.

How is the course directly relevant to you and your plans after graduation?

IAH209 Horror Cinema has been about more than simply the material presented. Through your group activities during class time and the different collaborative student learning team projects outside of class, you have had an opportunity to practice and polish a wide array of skills sought by hiring managers in entry-level job candidates throughout the working world of the 21st century where the ability to function productively as part of a team is the expectation in almost every case.

what have you practiced more specifically?

Besides The BIG Four ‘soft’ skills that employers want -- clear writing, public speaking, critical thinking,

and problem-solving -- other highly desired ‘soft’ skills include:

• Professional Etiquette

• Solid Interpersonal Skills. . . Not TMI

• Organizational Proficiency

• Realistic Perception and Assessment of Own Knowledge and Abilities

• Clear Communication

• Punctuality, Reliability, and Persistence

• Planning, Organizing, Prioritizing

Hiring Managers also report that they need more people well-versed in:

• Teamwork and Collaboration
• Leadership
• Ownership
• Delivery of Presentations
• Focus and Attention Span
• Intellectual Agility (Flexibility)
• Emotional Resilience
• Humility
• Empathy and Understanding

Last, hiring managers need more employees who display the following Characteristics:

• Attention to Detail
• Polished Speaking and Appearance
• Self-regulation
• Positive Worked Ethic
• Positive Attitude
• Common Sense
• Consistent Preparation
• Consistency Overall
• Emotional Intelligence
• Providing Constructive Feedback to Peers
• Creativity

So, what are your real 'take-aways' from IAh209 Horror Cinema?

1) Many of our films can be understood as products of their time(s) in a sociopolitical sense.

2) Consider developments like the death of 1960s counter-culture optimism (Night of the Living Dead), changing structure of the family (The Exoricist, The Shining, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), the backlash against the women's movement of the late 1960s-early 1970s (The Stepford Wives, Carrie, and Alien), and the AIDS Crisis of the 1980s (The Thing and The Fly), to consumerism (Dawn of the Dead), materialism (American Psycho), and the media (Videodrome).

3) As such, these movies might be read as critiques of, or commentary on society at different points during roughly the last half-century.

4) You have also had the opportunity to practice and refine many soft skills, like the kinds detailed in the preceding three slides. Abilities like these are necessary for effective organization, communication, problem-solving, and collaboration in the working world of today. Soft skills have become more important for success as the workplace evolves socially and technologically in the 21st century. Research has shown that the time individuals spend on ‘collaborative activities’ has ballooned by 50% or more since the late 1990s.