As a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Syracuse University I was actively employed every semester for three years. In my first year I led discussion groups for a large freshman course in the core of the Art program titled Issues in Art. In my second year I researched and taught a large film studies course, as Instructor of Record, on a topic of my choosing–Violence in Cinema. After this experience, I served as a Teaching Assistant for two film studies courses taught by my mentor Lester Friedman—American Film Renaissance and Black & Jewish Film Directors–in addition to working at the film equipment checkout facility on campus. But it wasn’t until my third year when I was about to teach my first production course as Instructor of Record–Introduction to Film Production–that I wrote down the following Goals in Teaching, which I taped to the wall next to my computer as I began to prepare my materials for this class.
As I reflect upon this document from my past, I am struck by how little my attitudes toward teaching have changed after more than a decade of experience.The ideals and hopes I continue to have for my students are evident in these pages as I began my teaching journey.
