#anatomy questions. at least it’s a group quiz but still. I think it’ll be a miracle if I make it through that without needing to throw up a

[capyclub]

sigh today was so fucking bizarre

[yorkulife]

course feedback from a 2nd year film kid

Hello! Your course feedback tag helped me so so SO much when I was choosing courses in 1st year (and it’s still helping me). I was honestly relieved to find this blog as a resource for all york students! :)

I definitely want to give back to the yorku community & student body so being the shy person that I am, I want to give a bit of my feedback on courses I’ve taken at york so far as an anon, if we’re still able to. Not sure if it’s the right tag for this but hoping it is!

For reference, I’m going into my 2nd year of film as a BFA in Media Arts (new program for this year ooo). Previously I was in the BA for Cinema and Media Studies. This post might be a little long but pls bear with me! Thanks in advance. :)

FA/FILM 1400 9.00 *Not a 9 credit course anymore. Now it’s 6 credits.

Easiness - Introductory film course for all film kids. Teaches you the basics of film jargon, film history and film techniques. Pretty easy for a 6 credit course, but be prepared to write a couple of essays, and write them well!

Interestingness - Some movies were good, some were good to sleep through.

Usefulness - Useful because of what I learned from my TA! Took tutorial with Caroline. She’s really helpful at clarifying expectations and you can see she wants the students to learn. Don’t be afraid to ask for help to clarify theses, essay skeletons, or go to her with any concerns about tutorial participation (if you’re shy like me) if you need it outside of course hours! She’s usually very accommodating to that. 

Additional Comments – NO EXAM. If you don’t want to buy the textbook, you can find the textbook online, but the pages might be different due to diff editions! Just make sure you have the right reading for the week. Lectures are long but they’re only long because it’s usually 2 hours for film screenings and 2 hours of lecture (give and take). On good days, there’s only an hour of the prof’s lecture. You’re not obligated to stay if you can’t! Course breakdown: tutorial participation, Fall term essay, Winter term essay (weighs a bit more), and a solo or partner powerpoint presentation on a chapter of the textbook.

FA/FILM 1405 3.00

It’s a course about television studies, but I found it rather dry. There were a few times we screened the first few episodes of shows like The Wire, Jane the Virgin and Grey’s Anatomy, but otherwise, the majority of the actual material was boring (at least to me). We talked about the globalization of television, television companies merging into mainstream ones, American programming versus international, different types of camera work, etc. I thought I did bad in it, but ended up with a mark I was happy with, so although the course may not seem like it’s for you, don’t doubt it because it’s either a hit or miss. Definitely a course I didn’t love, but it IS a required course for film kids, so you just have to put up with it. But hey, at least there’s no final exam!

Breakdown: Tutorial participation, 3 in-class exams about the weekly readings (just 2 long answers for each exam), and a final essay. No textbook needed (all readings are online).

FA/FILM 1120 3.00

This is a screenwriting introduction course that’s required for all film kids. The grading is not too hard, you just have to be open to different ways you can form a story and tell it to your audience. Be open to constructive criticism! Your stories can always improve, and the TAs encourage you to do so. It is a writing course, but the assignments were short and not hard at all. You get to watch a few movies throughout the term, but overall, it taught me how to become a better storyteller. Lectures are long but just go to them for attendance!

No laptops in this class (unless you’re a student with special needs). Prof. Rebecca Schechter is pretty serious about that. No exam, no textbook required. Course breakdown: tutorial participation (includes asking questions), 4 short writing assignments (generally 1-4 pages), and your final script of an original story you create (can either write an outline of your story or a full-on dialogue script.

FA/FILM 1001 3.00

Easiness - Easy. As long as you can be (or at least fake) being creative in various ways by using different types of media resources, give this course a shot! If you’re worried about the courseload, Prof. Ken Rogers hardly touched on the readings, and even if he did, there was no test on them. The majority of the class didn’t do them. The assignments require a bit of creativity though, so if you really want to get an A, you should think “outside of the box” and express your ideas in different ways using media.

Interestingness - I didn’t do any of the readings and lectures weren’t even relevant to our assignments. Lectures were long-winded and mostly boring. You can work on other things while he talks tbh. The assignments were interesting though! You do a few assignments: a social media looping 10 second video of what represents you, an assignment on hyper-attention, a fake news assignment, a mapping assignment about what maps can signify, and a final desktop documentary & mock “budgeting” plan.

Usefulness - Very useful if you want to practice using different types of media while thinking in a critical way. You might be thrown off by the vagueness of the assignments because there is no limit to what you can do. Take advantage of it and think creatively!

Additional Comments – NO EXAM, no midterm, no textbook required. Make sure you have access to a computer - no fancy gadgets are required, but it’ll be easier for you if you’re decent with the computer and creative work. Just attend the lectures (for the sake of it) and attend tutorials. My tutorial was with David Han - he’s a pretty laid back guy and will give you some hints as to what he would like from you. Just approach him honestly, do your work, and you’ll be fine. 

AP/PHIL 1100 3.00 The Meaning of Life

Easy. A bit of work, but this is coming from a person who doesn’t like essays. It’s a good introductory course where you learn about a new philosopher each week and I really enjoyed the topics. There is a lecture video, a few readings, and a Moodle quiz every week on the philosophers, usually 10 questions and the best thing is that you can keep retaking the quiz if needed to get your desired score! One course kit is needed with photocopies of the readings. Try taking  with Rebecca Ring, and if needed, go and talk to her out of class at the philosophy department if you’re really stuck on one of the essays or assignments to clarify expectations. The final exam was 10 short essays - sounds like a lot but it wasn’t. Don’t let that scare you off because they were pretty understanding with the grades!

FA/DANC 1900 3.00

No, you don’t have to physically dance. DANC 1900 is a blended course where you watch movies every week, do a reading, and submit a 3-2-1 assignment onto Moodle weekly! (3 things you learned, 2 things you thought were interesting about the week’s material, and 1 question you have). No exam, no textbook - just participate, do the weekly work, and finish the final “essay” (not really an essay) where you choose a movie, create 3 questions about it, and answer the questions in paragraph form with minimal research. Super easy if you have the right TA. I recommend Megan, she’s really understanding. I had another TA before but had to transfer because I really did not enjoy the class when she taught it. If you’re having trouble with the course, need to clarify expectations or having some difficulty with your TA, contact Dr. Bridget Cauthery (the prof)! She was so sweet and accomodated me well.

You talk about racialized bodies and how they’re connected to dance, heteronormativity, social class, all the way down to communism and politics, while watching films like Saturday Night Fever and Cabaret. If you like movies and can make connections from film to other sociopolitical ideas, definitely try this course out!

FA/DATT 1939 3.00 *DATT not listed in courses page

Loved this course, but that’s just my experience. 1939 is a course where you learn a bit of everything for non-digital media majors - HTML/CSS, Javascript, Photoshop (minimal), Audacity (sound program). It would be easier on you if you have at least some knowledge about any of these topics or programs like Illustrator, Photoshop, and HTML, but it’s not required. It’s a coding class but also a mixture of design - you talk about gaming and actually create website “games” for your assignments. No exam, no textbook, but you might not enjoy doing the weekly readings (e.g. Lev Manovich) and (not weekly) quizzes. The short quizzes are on Moodle and based on the readings. You have to attend lab in order to do them! Definitely interesting and it’ll help you out a lot if you want to learn more about these programs and skills! You have to put the work in if you want a good mark though. Two assignments for the whole term - one assignment where you make your own interactive website narrative using HTML/CSS (the prof/ta will show you how), and the 2nd is a group (but you can do it alone) project to make a website game using HTML/CSS and Javascript. It’s easier to work in a group because of workload. For the assignments, the sky is the limit! You can literally do your assignments on any topic you want. Tip - just take it and see if you like it! Don’t take it if you’re a newbie to this and have a heavy courseload though - it’ll just be extra work on you to learn everything from scratch while balancing your other courses.

FA/ARTH 1900 3.00 *ARTH not listed in courses page

Introductory course to art history! Blended course - weekly tutorials and online audio lectures with follow-along powerpoints. Easy if you work hard! Course breakdown: tutorial participation, one assignment where you have to go to Nuit Blanche, and another where you complete a questionnaire at a smaller Artist-Run Centre/other art gallery. For the final essay, you have to go to the AGO, choose a painting to write an essay on and discuss the art techniques used in the painting. The course really helps you learn more about artists in Toronto and it’s fun to go in groups with your friends downtown! No textbook but there’s an exam, which was really easy if you study - memorize painting info and answer some short answer questions you discussed in tutorial. Took the tutorial with Ingrid - I recommend her.