Now that students are in the course selection period, many can feel a little overwhelmed by all the choices, especially in the English department. From classes like Creative Writing to Popular Music as Literature, it can be hard to choose an elective that feels like the right choice.

Taught by English teacher William Kaskay in Room 329, the Ethics and Culture in Film elective blends film viewing with critical analysis for cinephiles and casual movie-lovers alike.

Kaskay heavily enjoys teaching this class, as a dedicated movie-watcher and humanities teacher.

“I look at ethics and culture, it’s almost like curating a museum exhibit of film history for teenagers. Sharing the films is the most important part to me,” Kaskay said.

The class used to be taught at Clover Hill, but was removed from the curriculum until Kaskay decided to start it again in hopes of bringing a fun elective course to students.

“I love film, and I was like, ‘I want to bring it to classrooms.’ Mr. Brown asked me in my first year if I would be willing to bring the class back to Clover Hill. I was able to curate my own syllabus,” Kaskay said.  

Teaching analysis of films to students has led Kaskay to even perceive movies in a different light, especially when seeing what his students think of them.

“Teaching and also fostering the conversations that you have with students makes you think about them and their thoughts about the movie and the conversations we have in here,” Kaskay said.

Sophomore Lily Storer, a student in this class, also enjoys the course and the experience of watching films that resonate with her.

“My favorite part of the class is watching old films that I’ve never watched before. This class has made me see films differently, as I notice more details within a film,” Storer said.

The class has watched a variety of films, from vintage psychological thrillers to modern musicals, a film genre that has one of Storer’s favorite movies covered in class.

“My favorite film we’ve watched has been West Side Story,” Storer said.

Storer believes that other students should join the class.

“I think someone should take this class because it’s very fun and you get to learn about films and a bunch of different ones from different genres,” Storer said.