American History through Film was originally created as a schedule filler, but has since become a favorite for students across the board, teaching topics like culture and film making.

According to Josh Hayes, current AHTF teacher, the class poses an interesting idea. He said, “The offering of this class in our school gives an opportunity for students to explore the concept of studying American history though a different medium, that is through Hollywood’s perspective.”

AHTF also gives an opportunity to students who dislike traditional history classes to study it in a different context and develop a passion for the topic. Hayes believes the class can be enjoyed by many different types of students. “It’s a way for those niche students who are fans of history who also happen to like films about history… to blend those two together and learn about them both at the same time,” he said.

The medium of film allows for a greater expression of ideas. “The old adage says ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. A story that you can tell through imagery can have a far greater impact on its audience because of the abundance of messages you can send with imagery,” said Hayes.

Because it doesn’t follow any specified curriculum, AHTF can lend itself to student tastes. Jennifer Hyland, creator and former teacher of AHTF said, “Traditional history classes were dictated by either a curriculum approved by the state of Ohio or because of a state test. We have a bit more leeway on the topics and that makes it a bit more interesting for the students. You can figure out from the students, what their interests are and make the class compliment some of that.”

AHTF also teaches about culture. “The study of history is, in fact, cultural education because different time periods dictate cultural norms,” said Hayes. “[Film] is a phenomenal way to do it because being able to see it, the inferences you can pick up upon through subtle imagery are huge.”

According to Hyland, film classes entice students to expand their horizons. She said, “Exposure to genres outside [student] interests might expand not only their appreciation of history, but also expand their appreciation of film. Education should be about exposing kids to different ideas, different beliefs. That’s really what social sciences are about.”

Current AHTF student Dennis Kachva loves his class. He said “It’s a really fun class. The movies shed more light on the parts of American history you don’t know about. It benefited me greatly.”

Thomas Grieshammer is a senior who is very excited to take AHTF next semester. He said “I’m excited, particularly, to learn all this history that has escaped me in the regular history classes I’ve taken over the years.”

Although history takes precedence the class does cover topics of filmmaking, specifically how films convey their messages. Hayes said, “The imagery and the sound effects that are fundamental in film production have an impact on how the viewer perceives whatever historical message is being sent. We certainly critique these things and their effect on the message being sent about history.”