EVENT: Film Colloquium "mini-course" at USAO
DATE: Saturdays this fall beginning Oct. 9
 Gray Frederickson |
What does the Corleone family have in common with The Simpsons? How does Don Vito compare to Homer? Are the boys in “The Outsiders” better off without a mother than the Conner kids who had Roseanne? These and other questions will only be the tip of the iceberg in a special mini-course being offered at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma this fall.
Select students at USAO will take part in a colloquium entitled “Conversations in Film.” Hollywood filmmaker Gray Frederickson, along with Dr. Randy Lewis of Norman, will teach the one-credit-hour course over three Saturdays this fall.
More information is available from the special course’s coordinator, Dr. Sanders Huguenin, vice president for academic affairs at USAO, 574-1221.
Huguenin said this mini-course, along with another this fall titled “Issues in Evolution,” as a way to expose USAO’s best students to a “stimulating liberal arts experience using off-campus scholars.” These scholars were chosen not only based on their knowledge of the topic at hand, but also for their ability to engage the students. “These classes will be work, but fun work,” Huguenin said.
Gray Frederickson, an Oklahoma native and well-known movie producer, serves as the director of USAO’s rare Oklahoma Historic Film Repository. Frederickson co-produced, along with Francis Ford Coppola, two of the films to be viewed as part of this course.
Dr. Randy Lewis, a former USAO faculty member, is the director of Film Studies at the University of Oklahoma Honors College, where he is an associate professor.
Attendees for this colloquium were recruited by Dr. Huguenin based on academic performance. Each participant for this closed seating course submitted an essay by way of admission to the mini-course.
The first Saturday, October 9, will cover “Film and Family.” Dr. Lewis will lead a workshop on depictions of family, both fictional and documentary, in film and on television. The workshop will draw from a wide range of families, including but not limited to “The Godfather,” “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” The Simpsons, and Father Knows Best.
Participants will be required to watch two movies and make a family movie of their own for this portion of the course. Lewis also will require some reading requirements. Each student will need to be prepared to discuss the family dynamics of the movies viewed and the materials read.
When Gray Frederickson takes over on the final two Saturdays, participants will read the books The Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad and The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton. After reading the books, students will view the movies associated with each: “Apocalypse Now” and “The Outsiders,” respectfully. These films are among many Frederickson has produced.
Huguenin said the college will be offering two new colloquiums in the spring, with hopes to expand to three mini-courses each semester by next fall.