Professor John Hart to Host Hamlet-Fest

By Anthony Czelusniak

Motlow Buzz Staff Writer

         SMYRNA – Associate Professor of English John Hart extends an invitation to all students for his two-week seminar on Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" starting Feb. 5.

         Hamlet-Fest will be held from 2-3:30 p.m. in room 127 of the Arthur L. Walker Jr. building on Feb. 5, 7, 12 and 14.

         Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" is one of the most influential of Shakespeare’s plays. It is also Hart’s personal favorite work of any author. He believes that the themes in the play are universal, even in modern society.

         "'Hamlet' captures a time in everyone’s life when people aren’t in sync with the world around them," Hart explained. "Hamlet is faced with a problem that he isn’t ready for. It’s a good metaphor for deciding who you are going to be.”

 

         Hart said that each class will be self-contained, and participants won’t need a background in the play to understand the discussion. Each day, Hart will show clips from a variety of different portrayals of Hamlet. Actors include Benedict Cumberbatch, David Tennant, and more.

Hart believes that seeing Shakespeare’s work performed is a far better approach than just reading the plays.

         “Shakespeare is meant to be seen, not read," he added. "Different actors read it their own way, and that makes it far more interesting than if you had read it yourself.”

         Hart hopes that most students take something personal away from Hamlet-Fest. He believes that there is something for everyone in the play, even those people who think they don’t understand it.

         Hart concluded by saying, “The major theme is still relevant to people today. Why do good people have bad things happen to them?”

World Film and Creative Writing Classes Available For Spring Semester

By Anthony Czelusniak

Motlow Buzz Staff Writer

         SMYRNA – Motlow’s Smyrna campus will offer world film and creative writing honors seminar classes in the spring semester.

         Professor John Hart’s world film will be held from 12:30-1:50 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It will feature an in-depth view into films from countries such as France, Korea, Germany and many more dating all the way back to the early 20^th century. The class will start with a study on the process of how films are made to teach students how to critically assess films, and learn what makes them remarkable even if they are not suited to someone’s interest.

         Hart is particularly excited about the French comedy film "Blue" by Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski. 

         “French comedy is almost like a whole new genre, especially when compared to American comedy,” Hart noted.

         While this class is considered an honors class, it is available to everyone. However, Hart would prefer students he previously had in a class, or for students who haven’t had one of his classes to bring a recommendation from another professor.

         Hart sternly said, “Sometimes students see film and think it will be easy. This is an actual class and will have standards like any other class. There will be papers and there will be discussion.”

         Despite the serious nature of the class, Hart is excited to be teaching about and revisiting some of the best works international filmmakers have to offer.

         The brand new creative writing class is also available for the spring semester. Professor Jenna Caviezel will be teaching the class from 930 – 10:30 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. The class will consist of three units: poetry, creative fiction, and revising and publishing. Students will participate in a creative writing workshop process, first consisting of small groups and then whole class workshops later in the semester.

         Students will be expected to read stories, but not for in-depth literary analysis. Analysis will be done with the intent to see the text as a writer rather than as a critique. Instead of a traditional textbook, students will receive Journal of the Month, a subscription-based service that sends highly curated and well-regarded publications each month.

          “Using Journal of the Month presents the unique challenge of not knowing what is coming," Caviezel noted. "Instead of planning in advance what the class reads, I am going to know just as much as the students will about a story.”

         Even with the challenges, Caviezel is excited to be teaching creative writing at Motlow for the first time.

         For more information on either of the classes or to sign up, contact Hart at jhart@mscc.edu or Caviezel at jcaviezel@mscc.edu.