High Above Earth

For this Anthropology and the Cinema course, students were required to analyze and compare two films using one of many theoretical concepts discussed in class (including theories of symbolism, metaphor, ritual, narrative, and culture). Instead of a traditional academic paper, students were required to present the material in a visual format. The concept behind the assignment was to help students understand the organization of ideas and images required to present information visually. This would not only encourage them to consider the films they were analyzing more carefully, but would help them experience the issues involved in translating ideas into images. Since more and more daily communication takes this form, this effort to advance the students' visual literacy has both academic and practical implications.