Movies from around the world are advancing the learning of Baker students who study a foreign language.
Cynthia Appl, chair of the language and literature department, said individual foreign language professors are in charge of planning and showing films. She said they ask for suggestions from students on which movies to show.
“Sometimes our Amity Scholars suggest movies in their language or have even brought movies from their country that we can show,” Appl said.
Amity Scholar Anthony Remy, from France, did not bring any films from home to share, but he did work on a list of films that would be good for the French club. He said a great deal of culture can be learned through foreign films.
“In the classroom, the way the language is being spoken is not always the way we speak it in real life,” Remy said.
The viewings are open to all students in hopes they will extend education beyond the ordinary classroom.
“So much can be learned from these movies besides just the language, like the culture,” Appl said.
Assistant Professor of Spanish Pablo La Rosa is preparing his students to view a Mexican horror film that will be shown during the week of Halloween. While he said the upcoming flick does not have subtitles, which he normally looks for, he believes that it is beneficial for students.
“It is important to get exposure from many angles,” La Rosa said. “It is up to the teachers and the students to gain contact with the language.”
La Rosa said foreign movies are not only fun but can make an impact on student learning. A few years back, he said he showed a Spanish film called “The Motorcycle Diaries” that prompted an interterm trip to Peru.
“In class, students are only hearing the teacher speak the language, so the movies can expose them to a number of different speakers,” La Rosa said. “The films help the viewers gain insight to the culture and they are intellectually stimulating.”
Appl said “Pans Labryinth” started the year off Sept. 19 in Library room 115. She said the series tries to include at least six films a year, but sometimes more if time permits.
La Rosa said the next film “La Marca del Muerto,” which translates to “The Mark of the Cadaver,” will be at 6 p.m. Nov. 7 in Case Hall room 106.