This class did not thoroughly explore the history of American motion pictures. It focused minimally on the historical inventions and techniques used to craft films and how these evolved over time. Instead, the course emphasized racial and social justice issues, which may seem irrelevant to students aiming for a career in the film industry, whether on or off the set. However, if you are interested in writing film analyses comparing old and new films, this class might be suitable for you. Despite this, I felt the course did not live up to its title.

The assignments were straightforward but time-consuming. Lecture notes were mostly useless, except for occasional citation references needed for the midterm and final, both of which were take-home exams. To succeed in these assignments, completing the required readings, including recommended ones, is essential.

The grading was based on quizzes and pop quizzes (each free response), the midterm, a research paper, the final, and lecture/discussion attendance. All of these 5 categories are worth 20% each.

I had Scott as my TA, who was personable and facilitated engaging discussion sections. He answered so many questions on assignments and course content. I highly recommend him for his lenient approach to participation and somewhat lenient grading. Professor Mann, however, was less favorable. She consistently arrived late to lectures and required us to write extensive, laborious paragraphs off of the slides since they weren't posted. Although the screenings were enjoyable, her presentation style was overly focused on "woke" content.

Overall, this course is decent, but it did not provide me with relevant knowledge for someone aspiring to enter the film industry. It's an easy A-course if you keep up with the assignments. You shouldn't get anything less than an A-.

Don't let the old comments about attendance fool you -- she's read them all and changed her class to where attendance is required and taken AND she added pop quizzes to prove that you were really there. I personally just do not like the way Mann lectures (its all very old school) but it was cool to watch movies each class. I had Scott as a TA and he was awesome but a super harsh grader. Out of all my assignments I only got one 100% and the rest were like 4.9 out of 5 // 4.7 out of 5, like come on... He wouldn't give feedback either so I had no clue how to grow as a writer. I wouldn't take this class again, its a lot of writing and very strict considering its supposed to be a fun GE.

This class was very fun. I looked forward to going to this class as each lecture ended with a film. Attendance is taken through a code that is given after each lecture, before the film. The one interaction I had with this professor wasn't the best—she seemed awfully rude for something that wasn't exactly my fault. But I enjoyed the class for what it was. Very reccommended.
The TA Eric Pitz is very motivated when speaking on the topic of film. Makes jokes here and there. Please try to speak during discussion—or else it's just awkward silence as the TA waits for a response. For his sake, please interact during discussion.

I really enjoyed this class. there is mandatory attendance with a qr code. lecture consists of watching a film but most people leave after attendance.
there are readings and films for the homework. assignments are take home.
4 quizzes (short response), 1 midterm, 1 final, 1 paper.

on the surface this class seems like a lot since it's twice a week, 3 hours each class (+ 1 1hr discussion) but in reality it's actually NOT that much class time. the way Mann did it was lecture for about the first hour of class, do the attendance check-in via QR code (so btw if you have a friend in the class they can prob send you the link for attendance remotely, but it's a different google form link every lecture). after that, it's just showing the film (and most, if not all films can be found on archive.org for free) but most people didn't stay for that.

as for the coursework itself, there are readings and films to watch but tbh you can read and watch none of it and be 100% okay!! ALL assignments were take home, with at least a week to do them, giving you plenty of time to watch the needed movies/read the necessary readings. there were only 4 short-response quizzes, 1 midterm (2-3 take-home short responses), 1 final (similar to the midterm), and 1 paper but the grading seems reaaalllllly lenient anyways. overall it's a somewhat interesting class (though she does NOT post the slides she uses) and a good way to watch classic films so i'd recommend!