Innovative Courses: Climate Change & Film
Climate Change & Film
This class brings students of all majors together to learn about film while obtaining a solid science background on climate change through an intense schedule of guest speakers that includes scientists, professors, artists, photographers, adventurers and more.
My fellow classmate Kelsey Scheckel said, "My favorite part of the class was viewing and critiquing all of the student films. I loved watching the movies that everyone put together. The class was such a cool combination of science and the arts. As a science major, it is refreshing to be able to express your passion of science through a different medium." We both agreed that this course allowed us to become more creative.
The final exam for the course is a showcase of student films during the Annual Climate Change Film Festival. This truly is both terrifying for students and thrilling at the same time. A panel of esteemed judges is formed and students invite friends and family to watch their films on the "big screen". It is a wonderful ending - each student beams with pride over their work. To top it all off, the top two videos selected receive incredible prizes, including internship opportunities.
A previous winner of the annual film festival, Clara Boland, has been integrating the arts into her science background since taking this course. She has continued her passion for film by creating a documentary about oil and gas leases in the North Folk Valley and has been working with Dr. Ryan Vachon at creating short 1-minute science episodes. Clara says, "this class ignited my passion for digital media - particularly film. Because of this class I pursued a certificate in through the program." She’s looking to travel to Peru with Dr. Vachon and create a documentary about water quality and climate change.
The Climate Change and Film class is unlike any other at CU, it combines two distinct disciplines; both science and the arts. It truly allows students to dive into their creative side while still embracing their scientific side. This class is taught annually each fall term and has two sections for enrollment: EBIO 4460 and ATLS 3519.