Liz Walton

Professor Jan Rieman

English 1103

March 24th, 2011

Inquiry Research Proposal

My current working inquiry question is as follows: ‘How does the combination of film

and text in language arts or history classes allow for student growth in analytical skills and

enhance the student’s writing skills, as well as their ability to easily recognize textual elements in

a film?’ I’ve recently included specific classes that have been the forerunners in this transition

towards media-rich classroom environments. The subject matter in both of these types of courses

are most suited to using film due to the content of the courses and our history of recording the

past. Though the structure and even the idea behind what I’m trying to find has obviously

evolved, the basis for the question (does film affect writing?) has remained the same throughout.

My initial interest in the idea that film might affect writing was sparked at the very beginning of

the project. One of the options that we had discussed for the structure of the final product was the

ability to make it into a short film clip. Ideas began to come up all around the room but here was

my line of thought: ‘Since the topic of the paper could be film,’ I wondered to myself, ‘I could

create a film at the end just to cause a reason for film to affect the writing of my peers, providing

additional information into the existing argument.” My goal for this piece was to make

something creative that got people involved in the argument I was explaining.

The creation and mode of the final project wasn’t the only reason I wanted to study this. I

also have a personal reason to find this research interesting. Currently, I’m enrolled in a class that

uses film as the primary resource. I wanted to know if there were any differences in the way
Professor Gwyn, the teacher of said class, taught his students in this class and the way he might

have taught students in a primarily textbook-based class. Finding this out is one of the main

courses of research that I’m going to follow throughout this project. First, let me address the

process that I came through to get to the inquiry question I have now.

I began the inquiry process hoping to find out if professors would ever be open to making

films the sole reference material for courses. I wanted to know if learning through films was

different than learning from textbooks and how students would be affected by the transition.

Through further research I found that a switch was unreasonable and would be detrimental rather

than beneficial to any kind of learning. Discarding literature entirely would have a devastating

effect on our learning process and would, in my opinion, reduce our intelligence over time. I

went on to revise my question to see if a combination of written text and film would provide a

better outcome. From this change, I hoped to research how and if the analysis styles differed

from written text to film, in both professors and students writing styles. “Does the structure of a

class that uses film differ from that of an all-text class?” and “What writing style is used most

often in classes of this type?” were questions that arose from the research on that question. I’m

hoping that the interview I have planned later on with Professor Gywn will be able to answer

these. From my experience as a student in a film-based class, I can confirm that the analysis does

differ to a point but in many ways is very similar. Though the mode the ideas are being expressed

in has changed, the way that students such as myself process the information is the same. After

that statement you might wonder at me even continuing my research on the subject. If the way

that film and written text are processed are the same, then why bother trying to find out if they

would be used in the classroom? This can be answered simply by saying that every student learns

differently. The way that I read stories is very similar to the way that I process movies or films.
The books that I read become films in my head and so I’m able to analyze them in the same way.

Other students read in different ways and for some, the addition of a visual source similar to

what they’re reading is essential to their understanding of the story. Learning how to analyze film

also seems to improve students ability to analyze written text, as shown in further research.

My recent research is leading me more towards how film and literature can be combined

to provide a more media-rich and interactive environment. From the courses mentioned in the

introduction, language arts classes have the most material on the subject and have already been

interspersing clips of films to help the students analyze textbooks. One of the main resources I

have on the subject was written by John Golden, an English professor in Portland. His insight in

‘Reading in the Dark’ has been essential to my project. Some of his writing seems to suggest that

film, when used correctly, can enhance students ability to analyze written text, recognize literary

elements, recognize personal connections to textbooks as well as film, and also create richer and

more complex literature themselves (2001, p. xiv, 43, 82, 95). From that it’s simple to deduct that

film must have an affect on the classroom and students writing style. History professors have

also been known to use films during class as well. Some professors, like Donald Mattheisen, do

have an active search for the right way to structure and teach a class that uses films extensively

(1-3).

I’ve found several sources that support the combination of film and written text, but so

far none of the material that I’ve found has shown opposition to this teaching style. In addition to

the previously mentioned written works, my future research will involve interviews with

professors and students alike to gain a closer opinion on the topic. However, the form that this

end research will take is still unclear. The possibility of a short clip surmising my research is still

an option, but the amount of information collected might not allow something so brief to explain
it fully. If I were to pursue the short clip option, I’m not sure what the mood should be, or how it

should be structured. The possibility of a written form combined with elements of film could

also be a creative way to use the subject of the paper to influence the readers. If I were to write a

paper for this and include links, as previously suggested in my research proposal revision, I

could create the same effect that I was hoping to attain through a film as my final product.

Though this path is open to me and is the most logical of my choices so far, I will not commit

fully until I know that it’s what the end product needs to be. In conclusion, I hope that in writing

this collection of thoughts I have given readers an adequate portrayal of where I am in the

research process and have provided a bit of clarity as to where I might end up.

Works Cited

Golden, John. Reading in the Dark: Using Film as a Tool in the English

Classroom. Urbana: National Council of Teachers of English, 2001. Print.

Mattheisen, Donald. "Finding the Right Film for the History Classroom." Perspectives

Online 27.9 (1989): 1-3. Web. 17 Mar 2011.