50 shades of access: equalizing student access to media for coursework

Abstract

Contribution to a roundtable on Strategies and Struggles in On-line Teaching During the Pandemic held on June 1, 2021 as part of the Film Studies Association of Canada-Association Canadienne d’Études Cinématographiques (FSAC-ACÉC) Annual Conference. Following on FSAC’s recent Statement on Copyright and Online Screenings, this contribution identifies practical, legal and philosophical challenges involving appropriate access to media required for film studies courses that affect both instructors and students alike. It also proposes two avenues for remediating access problems: pursuing reforms for unnecessarily restrictive aspects of Canada’s copyright law and developing guidelines for good practices that facilitate appropriate access to film studies content.