Illustration by Daryl Seitchik
Homer, Plato... Spielberg?
is film ready for its core close-up?
PrintWhat truly lies at the core of the Core Curriculum? It covers literature, philosophy, music, painting, architecture, science, and language. It aims at teaching every student in the College the principles and foundations of Western art and civilization. But something’s missing: a combination of all of the above. Namely, film.
The study of film encompasses the study of screenplays, soundtracks, philosophical agendas, technological production, and much more, making it a medium that comprises almost every other kind of media. Keeping this in mind, should a class devoted entirely to film—“Film Humanities,” maybe—ever become part of the Core?
While the idea of “Film Hum” may not be universally accepted quite yet, film has already made its way into the Core as a supplement to Columbia students’ study of literature and the arts. Holger Klein, associate professor of art history and archaeology believes in cinema’s ability to enhance course material. That’s why he decided last year to inaugurate a kind of miniature film festival for Art Hum students. “Because individual Art Hum instructors often show movies in connection with their Art Hum classes that focus on Art Hum artists and themes,” says Klein, “I thought it might be a good idea to run a movie series open to all Art Hum sections instead.”
Eric Anderson, Klein’s assistant at the time and an advanced Ph.D. student in the department of art history, selected films like “Goya’s Ghosts,” “Pollock,” and “I Shot Andy Warhol”—all of which relate to the artists covered in Art Humanities classes. These were shown from late October to early December 2008, making up the film series that came to be known as “Art Hum at the Movies.”
The response to the series, though, was underwhelming. “Despite the fact that we ran advertisements in the Spectator and announced the movies in all Art Hum sections, the movie series was, unfortunately, not very well attended, with usually fewer than ten people [per movie],” Klein says. “We therefore decided not to run the series again in the same format this year but may revive it in the future.”
More than a few Art Hum instructors were surprised by the series’ low turnout, believing that students would embrace the addition of film to their current studies. But the biggest problem with “Art Hum at the Movies” may not have been lack of interest. The five movies screened were shown in Schermerhorn on weeknights at 7 PM—very likely the number-one reason students didn’t attend.
Despite the failure of the series, most students recognize that a film like “Pride and Prejudice” could enhance a Lit Hum class, for example, while a film like “Amadeus” would serve well in a Music Hum class. Of course, showing film in an already-existing Core class isn’t the same as devoting a whole class to the subject. Many students do love the idea of a “Film Hum,” though, and they would like to see the Core eventually include such a course.
“It would be a good idea to add film to the repertoire of our required studies at Columbia,” says Carolina Martes, a Columbia College sophomore. “It’s an easily relatable and enjoyable subject, so I think students would enjoy it very much if it were added to the Core Curriculum.”
Cliff Massey, president of the College’s senior class and a student representative to the Committee on the Core Curriculum, agrees. “I think the Core would be greatly enhanced by involving film, as film is another medium of expression, equal now in our society in stature and scholarship to literature and music,” he says.
Not all students are on the same page, though. Even if they agree that the medium is indeed valid for study, some say it’s not quite at the same level of academic importance as the literature, music, philosophy, or the other plastic arts (architecture, painting, or sculpture, for example) currently part of the curriculum.
“Film doesn’t have the legacy that the other stuff in the Core carries with it,” says Joe Marano, a College sophomore and film major. “Film has become so ingrained in our culture so fast that it’s worth studying in college, but there shouldn’t be an entire Core class devoted to it. It would be cool—it’s just not worthy of being part of the Core. It’s not of the same magnitude as music or literature.”
Massey, on the other hand, believes that the study of film is integral to the Core’s purpose—and that leaving it out of the curriculum is a big loss. “The importance of film to the very nature of the Core is so great that rumors and whispers have already started circulating amongst students about the desire for the addition of a film class to the Core requirements,” he says. “While that addition might be many years down the road, I think it, too, is something worth pursuing.”
To know that “How Green Was My Valley” won the Best Picture Oscar in 1941 or to recognize a photo of Barbara Stanwyck may not matter as much as knowing Dante like the back of your hand, but if film itself is a multifaceted amalgam of all that we consider “worthy of study,” it doesn’t make sense to ignore it from an academic perspective. A “Film Hum” class wouldn’t just be cool—it would be an important addition to the Core that would affect generations of well-rounded Columbians to come.
8 October 2009
vol. 7, issue 4
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