Who doesn’t love a good movie? That’s probably what many of the students who took a recent Honors class all about movies thought. In the Making Meaning with Movies class, students from many different majors watched, analyzed, and discussed a wide variety of movies, ranging from civil rights movements to a memory erasure love story. The students in this class broke down the assigned movies and talked not only about how they enjoyed the movies, but what could be learned from them. And it turns out, a lot can be learned from movies. Student Lindsay Steis learned from watching the movie Selma that “some of these issues African Americans still face today, and unless we all rise together, nothing will ever change. It (the film) also showed me that voting is essential to making change, whether that be during the Civil Rights Movement or in our upcoming election in 2020”.  Other students learned more about historical movements, characteristics of a successful political movement, and the biases inflicted upon students in school. Take some time out of your week to watch your favorite movie and think about what you can learn. 

Students watched Eternal Sunshine in a Spotless Mind, Selma, 13th,  Dances with Wolves, Stand and Deliver, and All the President’s Men. And while all are movies that can be enjoyed and learned from, the students in this class have picked their sides and the results are in. Before getting to the results, honorable mentions should go to Stand and Deliver, 13th, and Eternal Sunshine in a Spotless Mind. 

Without delaying any further, the class favorite movie was…Selma!

These movies are a great way to spend a rainy day or a movie night with friends. You will walk away from the movies not only learning more about the subject but more about the world. This class learned so much thanks to this movie and all of the amazing faculty that lead the class. What will you learn next when walking into a cinema?