Class Home Page (CHP) / elegantbrain

ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 3
Posted 9/23/2020

Guys: Please note:

(1) Your FINAL scores for Test 1 (both parts) are now available via the link in the left column. (You will notice that your scores have improved a little.) If you did both parts of the test, and you did poorly, then note: compared to your other classes, this is a super easy class. However, not doing your homework at all in this class, OR doing it at the last minute is just not a good idea; you have been warned about this quite a few times now. Moreover, the amount of work you are being assigned in this class PER WEEK is relatively little; but if you wait to do it until the last minute you will find that it is too much. You will be overwhelmed!

(2) Those of you who did the homework on Simple Justice, will now know that the US Supreme Court is one of the most important federal institutions. For example, in addition to the decision on segregated schooling, it has issued decisions effecting the entire country on such matters as Jim Crow, women's rights, worker's rights, capital punishment, legal representation in court cases for the indigent, and so on, and so on. Justices are appointed to the Court for life--repeat, for life--and the person who nominates the justices is the President. A conservative president will nominate conservative justices, while a progressive president will nominate progressive justices. In other words, voting matters. Here is the link on how to vote in NY state in the upcoming presidential elections, if you are eligible: https://www.elections.ny.gov/
You can also become a poll worker (yes you get paid). For more information, click here.

(3) Go through the links in the left margin, if you have not already done so.

(4) Homework for weeks 5 and 6 and Test 3: See the course schedule (link in the left margin of this page).

(5) Some of you (not all) are not doing the homework as directed. This is not good. How do I know this? Because, as the rules for quiz/tests exams tells you, I can access statistics that tell me who is downloading the films, when they downloaded them; who is streaming, when they streamed, how often they streamed, and who didn't do the homework at all. Warning: Regardless of which race you believe you belong to, please do NOT racialize the epistemology on which this course rests. What does this mean in practice? The view that since this course deals with knowledge about black people it is not important enough to require diligence. <-- What does this word mean?

(6) Test 2 is coming up next week: see the course schedule (or the next announcement below). Note: Because the tests are online, when studying assigned homework, do not prioritize information that you can easily look up on the internet (for very obvious reasons). Tests will be constructed with this point in mind. Additionally, tests are constructed on the basis of the "lazy student student rule." (See the Rules for Quizzes/Tests/Exams.)

(7) Before you send me any e-mail, always check the Course Clarifications page first. (See link in the left margin). Two specific days per week have been designated as e-mail days. Please see the syllabus as to which days they are.

(8) For a small number of you, after downloading a file, it may not play on your particular machine because of the file format (HEVC encoded). For solutions click here.

ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 2
Posted 9/7/2020 (Updated 9/10/2020; 9/17/2020)

People, Folks, Guys: Please note:

(1) Test no. 1 is coming up next Thursday (see Item no. 4 in Announcement No. 1, below).

(a) Please carefully go through the rules/procedure for the test that are available here. <--Super important!

(b) Test 1 will be in two parts; the first part will be on Thursday, and the second part will be the following Monday (Sept. 21). Both parts cover homework for weeks 1 and 2 only.

(c) You will have 12 hours within which to do the test: It will be available from 11:45 am to 11:45 pm.

(d) Test (both parts) will be multiple-choice (see rules/procedure via the link above).

(e) If you did not do the homework as instructed (downloading, and then viewing/studying the films at least twice with absolutely no distractions), the test will not be easy--in fact, you will fail. Consider, for example, if a question asks you which one scene, among four options given to you, is not in the film, how are you going to know the correct answer if you never viewed the film at all, or you viewed the film while texting?

(f) How many questions will both parts have? Can not determine right now--as I am still working on the test. :)
(g) As per announcement on Blackboard at the beginning of the semester, all test/quizzes will be available on Blackboard. (Everything else, including your final scores for all tests/quizzes must be accessed via this page). Question: What is Blackboard?

(2) Always, always, always download the homework right away because sometimes you may not be able to access the material when you need it, especially if too many people are trying to get to it at the last minute! (Reminder: I am teaching about 180 students across both my classes together!)

(3) Homework for Week Three, beginning September 14, DOWNLOAD, and view/study twice (without any kind of distractions) these three items:

(i) Film: The 13th (class version)--available via a link on the page here.
(ii) Film: Hidden Figures---available via the same page.
(iii) The Film Composer (reading)

(4) Homework for Week Four, beginning September 21, DOWNLOAD, and view/study twice (without any kind of distractions) these three items:

(i) Film: Rosewood (class version)--available via a link on the page here.
(ii) Film: La Haine (class version)--available via the same page.
(iii) Birth of Feature Film (short video)

(5) For a small number of you, after downloading a file, it may not play on your particular machine because of the file format (HEVC encoded). For solutions click here.

(6) Test No. 2: date: Thursday, October 1 (covers homework for weeks 3 and 4 only)

(7) Go through Announcement no. 1 again, below.

[UPDATE 1: See 5 above.]
[UPDATE 2: Test 1, Part 2 is now available on Blackboard (UB Learns).]

ANNOUNCEMENT NO. 1
Posted 8/31/2020 (updated 9/4/2020)

People, Folks, Guys:

Welcome to your class home page, which you are required to visit regularly (at least once a week). From this page you will be able to access everything related to this class, except tests/quizzes (which you will take on Blackboard--aka UBLearns). Please go through the following announcements carefully:

1) This page will be redesigned slightly in the next few days.

2) The class schedule will be available soon (via this page); in the mean time, please do the following homework:

(a) For this week (Week One, beginning August 31), DOWNLOAD, and view and study (without any kind of distractions) these three items:

(i) Film: Fruitvale Station
(ii) Film: Hate U Give
(iii) Film is Magic (short video)

Yes, this is the only homework for this week. If you want more, send me an e-mail. :)

(b) For next week (Week Two, beginning September 7) DOWNLOAD, and view and study (without any kind of distractions) these three items:
(i) Film: Something the Lord
(ii) Film: Simple Justice
(iii) Stages of Filmmaking (short reading)

Yes, this is the only homework for this week. If you want more, send me an e-mail. :)

3) For a small number of you, after downloading your file, it may not play on your particular machine because of the file format (HEVC encoded). For solutions click here.

4) The first Test will be on Thursday, September 17. Additional instructions about the test will be posted as part of an announcement on this page.

5) The course syllabus is available here. Please go through it carefully.