Final Reflection Letter

Dear Mr. Harmon,

            Overall, I liked your class a lot and I would definitely take another themed class. I came into your class knowing that your class was based off of documentary films. I was excited to have a change of pace with English because it is not my strong point. My favorite part of the class was watching the documentaries in class. The most interesting documentary that we watched in class was “Catfish”. I recall not finishing the documentary in one class period, and then I was absent from the next class. However, I was upset that I could not see the ending because it left me at a cliffhanger. In my opinion, the worst documentary was “Lost Book Found”. I know that it added an academic element to the class, but it was kind of painful to watch. I understand that it was necessary for the class to watch to get a better idea for documentary films.

            I liked the first two essays because they offered me a chance to critically analyze something. Throughout college I will have to critically analyze many things, from texts to graphs to photographs. I will feel prepared to go onto higher courses with a decent background in how to critically analyze something. I would suggest you have one of the essays critically analyze a reading of some kind. That was one thing I felt like I was missing in my preparation for my future college career. Also, I know that this English class is based off of documentary films, but I would not require essay three to be about a documentary. I had a hard time adding my thesis into the film. It took a lot of time to make a film and I felt that I did not learn a lot from making it. In a higher leveled English class I think it would be more appropriate to have the students make a documentary. But I felt that I was cheated out of writing decent essays, like the rest of the University of South Carolina’s freshman English courses. I liked how essay four involved translating one of the other essays into another medium. This provided the students with more freedom and creative leverage. I liked the fact that you did not treat us like little kids and you were vague about what you wanted. Also, I liked your laid back teaching style. It was just enough to not dread going to your class, but you were strict when you needed to be. I wish you luck on your future career in documentary films! I enjoyed having you as a teacher this semester.

Sincerely,

Stephanie McQuillan