Ithaca College

The following courses beginning this week still have seats available. Sign up on HOMER. Courses are pass/fail and one credit liberal arts courses. [Please note that Garbage, Oil, and Other Dirty Stuff will have its first class meeting this Wednesday, not Monday.]

The three courses available are:

* Garbage, Oil, and Other Dirty Stuff: Environment, Commodities, and Film in the Americas
* Tying Story to Environment: The Checkpoint as Drama
* Checkpoint: Can Games Change the World

Garbage, Oil, and Other Dirty Stuff: Environment, Commodities, and Film in the Americas
A river forces its way through rock. A four lane highway chokes down to one. A huge line forms at airport security. Checkpoints occur in both the natural and man-made world. Where pressure builds, drama will soon follow. This mini-course examines the recurring theme of a checkpoint as a source of drama film. We will analyze FLEFF screenings, plus classic recent indie and Hollywood features where the narrative is tied directly to a specific environment; physical, political and otherwise. 1 cr. LA Andy Watts, lecturer, Cinema, Photography, and Media Arts M 6-8:30 pm [IISP 10100-05] CRN 43203 [GCOM 10200-01]

Checkpoint: Can Games Change the World
Can games make the world better? Can they encourage cooperation,problem-solving, and altruism in ways that affect ordinary lives and address social and economic problems? In this mini-course, we’ll read Jane McGonigal’snew book Reality is Broken and engage her thesis that games can change the world for good. We will play a “checkpoints” game and decide if simulations can teach us something about the real world and the problems associated with a utopian vision. Students will attend several FLEFF films and examine how the "rules" at work in real-life social situations challenge the thesis that games can teach us how to change the world. 1 cr. LA Rachel Wagner, Assistant Professor, Philosophy and Religion, MW 4-6 pm [IISP 10100-03] CRN 43201

The course will treat two themes: human and natural agency as portrayed in films & the history of "environmental films" in the Americas.

1 cr. LA Associate Professor Jonathan Ablard, History and Assistant Professor Michael Smith, History MW 2:00 pm-2:50 pm [IISP 10100-04] CRN 43202

Tying Story to Environment: the Checkpoint as Drama