While many of Westfield State’s academic offerings this semester are held remotely, the innovative minds of senior Olivia Houde and sophomore Elise Miller have continued to engage the campus community.
During an advisory board meeting last fall, Emily Todd, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS), searched for activities or events that could be offered remotely this spring. Houde, a regional planning major from Fiskdale, reflected with her peers during an Intro to Film course about her enthusiasm for discussing films. She envisioned an opportunity where students could watch movies independently, then invited to an informal discussion about the film.
“Dean Todd reached out to me at the beginning of spring semester to plan the film series, so we created surveys asking students to provide three movie suggestions to be voted on later,” Houde said.
Students were encouraged to suggest films of cultural or historical significance, which is indeed “ambiguous and up for interpretation,” said Houde.
Still, an impressive list of 68 titles was compiled.
The three films selected were Get Out (2017), Hidden Figures (2016), and Blade Runner (1982).
According to Houde, this list of movies revealed the cultured and diverse nature of Westfield State students.
“The films deal with such prominent themes in our lives and obstacles in our society, and I could not be more pleased with the survey results,” she said.
In terms of the timespan of the movies, she was glad to see a wildcard.
“I was slightly surprised to see the popularity of Blade Runner, since I had assumed newer titles would take the lead,” she said.
After reaching out for help to plan the series, Miller, an ethnic and gender studies and liberal studies major from Hopkinton, joined the team. Realizing a need for faculty involvement, Miller and Houde were determined that the discussions would allow students to see the educators around them through a different lens.
“It’s kind of like when as a kid you would see your teacher at the grocery store, and you were shocked to learn they have a life outside of the classroom,” said Houde. “This gives students an opportunity to engage with faculty they might not already know, in a voluntary setting.
“There is no pressure to get a good grade, and everyone chooses to be there, so it is a different dynamic than students are used to,” she added. “Hopefully, it reminds students that our professors exist outside of the classroom and are interesting people to get to know.”
With the abundance of talented faculty that Westfield State is proud to have, Houde and Miller prioritized finding faculty members with experience teaching film who may have extra insight to offer.
“We emailed several CAHSS faculty with a list of the three selected movies, and we got a great response,” said Houde. “Professors responded and agreed to help with films they have experience teaching. This makes the discussion so much more meaningful.”
In terms of the “tangents” these discussions may head off into, Miller believes they give students and faculty more time to explore issues they may not have time to pursue in the classroom.
For the Feb. 24 screening of Get Out, Associate Professor of Communication Chris Gullen, Ph.D., and H. Zahra Caldwell, Ph.D., assistant professor of ethnic and gender studies (EGST), helped lead the discussion. Both have taught the film in their respective courses, which helped make the night’s discussions so impactful, according to Miller.
“Dr. Gullen specializes in the genre of horror and Dr. Caldwell is an EGST professor. Our first film, Get Out,is a horror movie with social commentary on race,” said Miller.
Added Houde: “We could not have done it without them.”
Students and faculty discussed the groundbreaking nature of the film, but not only because it is a cinematic masterpiece; Director Jordan Peele’s ability to weave pieces of Black history into the plot shows not only how arresting the history is, but it also makes viewers “feel it” as well.
“Sometimes it’s easier to talk about social issues—especially race, class, and gender—when you’re only observing it, rather than directly experiencing it,” said Miller. “This is especially important for White people, because in films, when you can see the point of view more easily, you may be able to better understand the perspective of a character who is a person of color.”
With those in attendance contributing thoughtful insights regarding the dense, riveting film, it was hard to keep the discussion to only one hour. According to Houde, Professor Caldwell joked that “you could teach a whole course about it.”
With roughly 13 participants, the turnout was great for a Wednesday evening Zoom session.
“The first discussion was an overall success,” said Houde. “The beauty behind the Zoom format is you can drop in for as long as you would like, and there is no pressure to talk. Of course, more voices mean more perspectives, so participation is encouraged. The point, however, is that students from different areas of study interacted with and learned from each other.”
Dean Todd said she is “deeply impressed” by the way that Houde and Miller have collaborated to plan the series.
“The result of their hard work is a film discussion series that brings together faculty and students for informal, meaningful conversations about a really interesting selection of films,” she said.
While there is incomparable value in having intellectual discussions about the arts, Houde believes that movies are exceptionally notable.
“A movie is more or less a medium of unification because for the most part, everyone is hearing and seeing the same series of events,” she said. “The beauty in it is that some people interpret scenes, characters, audio, and/or editing differently, so learning about how someone else perceives something is a practice of empathy, whether we are conscious about it or not.”
Hidden Figures, scheduled for the end of Westfield State’s Month Celebrating Women, could not be more appropriate, according to Houde.
“While this film is not necessarily made to be on the same level as Get Out, the subject matter is important and timely, so I am looking forward to discussing it,” she said.
As Blade Runner also becomes increasingly relevant, Houde emphasized that it is a discussion not to be missed.
The film discussion series will continue March 31, with Maddy Cahill, Ph.D., professor of communication, helping to facilitate the discussion about Hidden Figures. Michael Filas, Ph.D., professor of English, will facilitate the April 21 discussion on Blade Runner.