Most Wesleyan students have a certain reverence for their professors. They desire to appear intelligent in class and impress them on their assessments, and they are embarrassed to receive that look of scorn whenever their cell phones or other electronic devices go off. For the 170 students in the Past on Film class, this awe is increased two-fold, for their professor is none other than President Michael Roth.

The Past on Film, which is cross-listed in the film, philosophy, and history departments, is one of the more unusual courses offered in the second semester curriculum. The goal of the course is to analyze social phenomena and philosophical inquiry through the (literal) lens of an art form.

“The course makes your brain work in ways you’re not used to, because you’re talking about artistic conceptions of reality,” said Locke Alexander ’14. “This isn’t art about abstract concepts—this is art about the past and how we interpret it.”

Although generally fascinating, students discussed how the content of the course can at times be difficult to bear.

“It’s really about the representations of truth and memories—it’s not always easy. The first couple of weeks were rough, as we were watching movies about and discussing depictions of the Holocaust,” said Julia Conrad ’14. “I was crying every Thursday.”

As a former H.B. Professor of Humanities at Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., Roth is no stranger to academic inquiry and teaching undergraduates.

“I’ve always taught ever since I went over to the dark side of academic administration,” he explained. “The reason I’m in this job is that I like working with students.”

Roth elaborated on how the teaching experience changes each year, even though he has been teaching the same course.

“I’ve been doing this Past on Film class every spring for a long time now,” he said. “I think the class gets a different flavor each time I teach it. I do use the same films, but depending on what’s happening in the world, it changes a bit every time.”

This already intriguing course is made all the more interesting by the experience of having President Roth as a professor.

“He’s a great lecturer,” said Ethan Hoffman ’14. “He sort of does it off the top of his head and is always making jokes, and always walking around.”

Roth confirmed that improvisation is an important part of his teaching style, and part of what makes the class different from year to year.

“I just talk and ask questions; I don’t read lectures,” he said.

Roth also elaborated on why he feels that teaching is vital to his role as head of the University, since it allows for connection with some of the most important aspects of his work on campus.

“I always felt it was really important for my job as president to know what it’s like in the classroom and to spend time with the students,” Roth said. “The difficulty with teaching a class as large as the Past on Film, though, is that I don’t get to know individuals. In the past, I’ve taught seminars, but as president I feel like it might be better for me to teach a large class because then I at least get to have some interaction with many students.”

He also feels that teaching is not only important to his job, but also benefits him as an individual, allowing him to continue the pursuit of his intellectual passions while strengthening his connection with the academic community he so visibly represents.

“Intellectually, for me as a person, it’s very important for me to keep thinking about the things I like to teach about,” he said. “My office colleagues always say that I’m the happiest when I get back from teaching class.”