My bad on the late post.
On the topic, I am enjoying the class of "philosophy of documentary films" so far. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, and honestly I had signed up so I could take an Allen class, one that wouldn't be like taking another calculus class. I'm glad I'm in it, documentary films are awesome.
Anyways. the best things I like about the class are the choices of documentaries themselves. I would probably not see a few of these movies on my own time if I was to choose them (I haven't even heard of a few), and this difference in perspective is good. I really cannot find something I dislike about the class. People are open in discussion, which is always lively even if the movie is not what is being discussed.
If I were the instructor I might focus more on the movies and letting people form their own ideas. While I feel the Aufrenheide text yields SOME extra knowledge, I do not see it as essential to the class, as compared to some of the short pieces we examine, and of course, the movies themselves.
The class has reminded me of how deep philosophy is, and how it can be applied to almost anything.
On effective ways to learn or teach... I guess I have learned that the more open and informal a class is, the more I learn (in my opinion at least). The structured, huge lectures are where I usually learn the least if it all. Also, reading the textbook is the key to the class most of the time.
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An interesting view on the text, Miheer -- I wonder if others feel this way? Perhaps I was too smitten with that little book and I should look for a replacement in the future?
ReplyDeleteBtw, Miheer, I'm going to be the nagging instructor here :) , but let's try not to make a habit of the late posts... it's unfair for the others to have to always post first/ on time, as well as have less time to comment.
I agree about the book, while it does offer some useful information, it has not offered a discernible amount to what I consider to be the most important part of the class, our discussions.
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