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The Education Medium For The Course

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As part of the teaching team instructing a first year course in American History, there is a lot to cover in a semester. My part of the module consists of educating the students about slavery in nineteenth-century America. Solomon Northup’s memoir, 12 Years A Slave will be part of the curriculum, since it is an authentic piece of history in American slavery. However, as the instructor, I need to decide what educational medium to use. I have the choice of the book/memoir itself or the academy award winning film. Both mediums have their advantages and disadvantages as a teaching aid.
After some consideration, I will be using the film as the education medium for the course. While the book is a fountain of information, I believe the film will be more beneficial for a first year history course. This film will truly engage the students and give them a better understanding of the unfortunate events of historical slavery. Though, the film is not the primary evidence of slavery, it does portray authenticity. As long as the film does not forfeit its historical accuracies for entertainment value, then it should be used as an educational tool. However, loss of accurate historical information is not an issue since this Hollywood film manages to accurately depict history.
For starters, the actors and actresses that were cast were true to their detailed descriptions in the book. The students can visualize the characters and their personalities in the film. It could drive the students

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