One Culture Class Isn’t Enough

Learning how to think critically takes more than just reading words off a page or completing weekly problem sets.

There seems to be an idea among students that sources other than books aren’t valuable for learning. Harvard affirms this valuation by making only a perfunctory gesture to expose students to other art forms with the Aesthetics and Culture General Education requirement. As with all one-off requirements, students may treat it as a box to check rather than a meaningful experience. But I’d argue that mediums such as film are some of the best ways to increase cultural understanding.

Students should lean into this cultural and artistic education, treating it as just as important for their development as students and intellectual minds as their other Harvard classes.

Cultural education is known to be a unifying force, building empathy, understanding, and respect for people from differing backgrounds — and different art forms are often the best way to gain this kind of understanding. Students should maximize their engagement and appreciation of unique forms of learning.

When I enrolled in three courses that required films as part of the weekly assigned readings, I was able to gain a novel perspective on other cultures. Films and other non-book forms of media help students directly envision different cultural practices rather than just reading words on a page.

In English 184CF: “City Fictions,” we studied how six cities shape individuals and their worldviews. Reading works of literature helped me understand the cultural settings and envision certain cities, but watching films about such cities was an entirely different experience. I had seen the movie “Parasite” countless times before, but rewatching it with the explicit goal of analyzing how Seoul’s dramatically contrasting environments co-exist between social classes revealed small details I hadn’t noticed before. During class discussions, my peers shared how they interpreted the film from their cultural lenses. Knowing I might not have gained that sort of knowledge outside of the classroom, I found myself paying attention even more than usual.

In GENED 1049: “East Asian Cinema,” our professor encourages us to go one step further and create films of our own. We have the option to recreate scenes from the weekly films we watch or to write analytical commentary on what the themes reveal about our broader world. By doing so, I’ve not only gained experience with cinema techniques, but I’ve also become closer to my classmates. When our professor showcases our films at the end of each class, we collectively tear up or burst into laughter — building genuine community through a shared love of films.

Although the class is focused on more technical aspects, such as filmmaking vocabulary or techniques, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed these assignments as a medium to understand the unique characteristics of diverse cultures. Especially considering the new wave of chaos with the proposed grading policy and the possibility of a more competitive environment among students, this kind of collaborative, creative, and joyful setting for learning should be promoted.

Sure, watching “Sex and the City” or “Emily in Paris” might sound silly because these are lighthearted shows intended for entertainment. But watching shows or films purely for enjoyment versus watching them to learn a specific concept are worlds apart. In fact, emotional involvement in viewing increases cultural understanding in a way that reading can’t.

Though these classes come from different departments, they’ve exposed me not only to movies I would’ve otherwise never seen, but they’ve also given me cultural awareness, film knowledge, and most importantly, made me think from a political, socioeconomical, and personal lens.

Students should take advantage of classes that expose them to unfamiliar cultures. We could all benefit from gaining a more empathetic worldview.

Ally Hwang ’29, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in the DeWolfe housing complex.