Streaming Verstehen: Whither Feature Film in the Classroom?

Abstract

Scholars have long praised the ways in which film can provide students with an opportunity for deep intellectual and emotional connections to classroom material. With contemporary technology, however, instructors are instead turning toward shorter audiovisual material that can be accessed with little preparation, take up less class time, and cater to an instructor’s needs. But what has been lost? Are film’s established advantages now irrelevant? Here we aim to begin a conversation about the continued use of film in the classroom. We do so through an analysis of surveys sent to students who have previously taken a class that used streaming services to assign over a dozen films as homework assignments over the course of the semester. Results show that films remain an immersive and reflexive complement to course readings and often continue to have an impact on students after the class has concluded. Nevertheless, instructor guidance remains essential.