Artemis Swanson
Staff Writer
Megan Tuennerman
Managing Editor
As health restrictions limit traditional extracurricular venues, academic departments look for alternative opportunities to provide enjoyable and educational events for their majors and minors. In that vein, the English Department has planned out a new monthly event in the form of a virtual movie screening. Each month, the department will be choosing a film to screen to students in the department, as well as a few additional invited groups from around campus.
Departmental assistants Holly Engel ’21 and Jenna Stanton ’22 have been working hard with Department Chair Leslie Wingard and the department’s administrative assistant, Nat McCoy, to create a fun and entertaining way for students to engage virtually with one another. Engel emphasized how important building a space for community was when planning this event. “Through this event, we hope to foster community and bring people together at a time when togetherness is particularly difficult. Even though everything is still virtual, we’re handing out popcorn beforehand that students can snack on as they watch the film — something that will help us stay connected while watching even though we won’t be together physically. Off campus students are able to participate as well because we’re sending them popcorn in the mail, and the screening is virtual. All they’ll need to join us is the Microsoft Teams link.”
The screening is not intended to only be designed for English majors and minors, as Department Chair Leslie Wingard assures. “We are purposely creating interdisciplinary social groups at these monthly virtual movie nights this semester,” she says. Of these social groups, the department has invited students from the French and Africana studies departments, as well as the Wooster Chorus and Word of Mouth poetry club, to the first showing occurring this week. In addition, the department plans to extend event invitations to other departments and activity groups for future screenings, with invitations being sent to the Education and Arts departments and the basketball team for next month.
The first showing, a piece known as Poetry, is a 2010 South Korean drama written and directed by Lee Chang-dong. The department is screening the film on Friday, Sept. 25 from 7-10 p.m. The film has reportedly received rave reviews from previous viewers. Furthermore, Engel explained that there will be a Q&A session after the movie with professors (Dr. Christopher Kang and professor and poet Daniel Bourne) and English students (Sierra Foltz ’21 and Brian Luck ’22), facilitating a discussion on poetry, writing and teaching in the context of the movie. They are hoping that “having people from so many different disciplines will make for an interesting, engaging conversation.”