Incredibly easy online/asynch GE. I didn't watch a single movie, or lecture for that matter. You just have to attend the weekly Zoom discussion section, and my TA was really kind and engaging. I locked in for the final paper after giving the class no thought for the entire quarter and got a nearly perfect score. Take this class!!

This class is great, especially if you're into analyzing music. I'm not a film buff but I definitely gained some appreciation for different eras of film. This class starts at silent films and goes all the way to very recent films, so there's something from every era to appreciate. There are a few international films as well-- it was a great sample!

Weekly work took some time: it included around an hour of lecture videos, give or take a few readings, some short supplemental videos, and of course, a full film. There was also a quick journal entry every week and a few random assignments throughout the quarter. It was all asynchronous except for discussions, so there was time to complete all the work. I got into the habit of completing everything over the weekend so I didn't have to worry about it all week. Overall, manageable especially if you're interested!

There was a final essay project with lots of preparation time. They guide you through the process. There was also a "final exam" but it was only a few short answer essay questions for completion on your own time. No quizzes or tests. Would recommend.

Most of this class is watching movies so if that's your thing, you've found your match. The course is 10 movies and very easy writing assignments. I took the whole course online and only had to attend discussions every Friday, which were easy as long as I watched the movies beforehand. The final exam and final essay were both asynchronous.

The Ultimate MUSCLG 7 Guide

Takeaways
- Go to online discussion, watch the lectures, watch the movies.
- Start working on the essay early (unlike me).
- Enjoy the class.

Class Structure
- Lectures are posted online as Weekly Modules. These modules CAN get long, but they are truly interesting most of the times. Each module (except Week 1) has a movie attached to it that is ACTUALLY GOOD. Every module also has a Weekly Journal assignment that expects you to literally just talk about the movie and the lecture.
- Discussions start out as kind of general and disconnected from lecture, but they eventually converge so that each discussion is about the movie of the week.

Grading Structure
- (20 points - 2 each) Weekly Journals are very easy to get full points on. They should be around 200 words and should connect the lecture with the movie (incredibly easy to do).
- (6 points - 2 each) Random assignments that ask you to basically restate a portion of the lecture (also very easy).
- (10 points - 5 each) Thesis Statement Workshop assignments that have you work with a group to review each others assignments (easy).
- (100 points) The Final Paper is due at the end of Week 10. It's a 5-6 page (double spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman) analysis of the use of a musical device in a film of your choice. Not too difficult but honestly I struggled to find enough stuff to make it 5 pages at least and not leap outside the bounds of my thesis. There is a fine balance between making a 3 page essay with a shallow thesis and a 10 page essay with a crazy thesis. Start early, because discussion doesn't really help you with the essay itself.
- (100 points) The Final Assignment is a 5 day assignment that opens on the Monday of Finals Week and is due on the Friday of Finals Week. You choose 2 out of 5 short answer prompts (~200 words each) and 1 out of 5 short essay prompts (~600 words). Examples are required in each answer, and the hardest part of the whole thing is finding timestamps from the movies.