Professor Elam

Perhaps my Dean of Students at Texas State was right when she remarked, Dennis I don't think it will ever be for them like it was for us.

What she was referring to was the low tuition that made college a do able adventure as opposed to what it has become, a financial chore.

While I cannot put you in a Time Machine back to those days, I can at least float a few ideas that might take us back to the days fo campus films and talks with one another rather than e mails and facebook.; So here goes.
I am proposing a series of films. These would focus on college the first night and then a series of movies withe ethical themes. The idea is that the dicussion flows much better if we have ALL seen the same movie together.

I don't know the right time, Saturday morning perhaps? You tell me, but here is what I have in mind.

NIght One

The Paper Chase

John Houseman won the Academy Award for Best Supporting and he is really the lead. This is a story about a group of students in their first year at Harvard Law. While we are not in Law School, all the right elements are here, and a Paper Chase it is. The study group, the snobbery, the outline, the thinking you know it all, the starts and stops, yep, this one has it all.

Night Two

On the Waterfront

This won some 8 Academy Awards and is as relevant today as when it was made.  Filmed on location at teh docks in Hoboken New Jersey, yep where some 40 officials including a couple of rabbis were arrested last semester.   The story is about mob corruption: I used this for an Education Innovation at AAA a few years back called Terry Malloy Meets Plato. Anyway, this also exposes the group to a true movie classic.

Night Three

Wall Street

It's hard to believe 20 years has passed, but let's puick this one as Mike Douglass is releasing a follow up this year Wall ST II. Corruption, Insider Trading, but in this one the union is the good guy. Are there any good guys on Wall Street?

I have an entire list of movies with ethical theme on Black Board so there are plenty top pick and choose from. ONe of my students insisted that her 12 year old watch Paper Chase to get the idea of what College is all about. We have the facilities to screen these at school, I have the movies and I bet we can get the popcorn. A discussion happens after the film about what it means. Bring the kids IF they are old enough to understand, no baby sitting.

Anyone interested?