Introduction

Campus life is an indispensable part for every student to pursue their dream．School is a place where offers students a unique life experience that has a formative effect on the way they think， feel， or act； a place where promotes their intellectual and personal growth， their social responsibility， leadership competence and their community engagement．It is also a place where students can explore their interests， tap into their potentials （潜能）， try new things， make new friends and have tons of fun．

Since the films included in the unit are set on campus， so a brief introduction to American education will definitely help the Chinese students understand them better．

Education in the United States is provided by both public and private schools．Public education is universally available， with control and funding coming from the state， local， and federal government．Public school curricula， funding， teaching， employment， and other policies are set through locally elected school boards， who have jurisdiction （管辖权）over individual school districts．State governments set educational standards and mandate （管理）standardized tests for public school systems．

Private schools are generally free to determine their own curriculum and staffing policies， with voluntary accreditation （鉴定） available through independent regional accreditation authorities （鉴定机构）．88％ of school-age children attend public schools， 9％ attend private schools， and nearly 3％ are homeschooled．

Education is compulsory over an age range starting between five and eight and ending somewhere between ages sixteen and eighteen， depending on the state．This requirement can be satisfied in public schools， state-certified private schools， or an approved home school programs．In most schools， education is divided into three levels：elementary school， middle or junior high school， and high school．Children are usually divided by age groups into grades， ranging from kindergarten and first grade for the youngest children， up to twelfth grade as the final year of high school．

There are also a large number and wide variety of publicly and privately administered institutions of higher education throughout the country． Post-secondary education （中学后教育）， or higher education （高等教育）， often delivered at universities， academies， colleges， seminaries， and institutes of technology．Higher education is also available through certain college-level institutions， including vocational schools （职业学校）， trade schools， and other career colleges that award academic degrees or professional certifications．

Education is a cultural phenomenon．Different education reflects different cultural traditions．American education is an indispensable part of American dream．Not only does it determine the individual's social status and economic prospects， but it also brings general social benefits such as elimination of poverty and improvement of citizenship．American educational goals can be roughly concluded by the following two sides：

1．Self-actualization

American schools highly value the full realization of one's potential．They lay emphasis on personal development including basic skill education， understanding of basic processes， intellectual development， critical thinking （ to evaluate ideas） and creative thinking （ to generate ideas） ， recreational and aesthetic （审美情趣）， emotional and physical well-being， and most importantly， character formation．

2．Team Spirit

American education also intends to foster the learner's commitment to the country，the neighborhood and the family． Patriotism （爱国主义） is taught as the cardinal （根本的）principle．Interpersonal skills are cultivated to enhance human cooperation and appreciation．

Campus life essentially falls into the category of Teen Movies with common themes， like first love， teen friendships， conflict with parents， rebellion against conformity （顺从） and cheerleading．Of course， sexual themes are also covered， which often display embarrassment or clumsiness in a humorous way．

Theme-related Film Recommendations

Pretty many films center on campus life， either focusing on teachers， students or even parents．Here is a list of some of the classics of this kind：

Stand and Deliver （1988），《为人师表》

Dead Poets Society （1989），《死亡诗社》

Dangerous Minds （1995），《危险游戏》

Mr ． Holland's Opus （1996），《生命因你而动听》

Good Will Hunting （1998），《心灵捕手》

The New Guy （2002），《新丁驾到》

Drumline （2002），《乐鼓热线》

Van Wilder （2002），《留级之王》

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen （2004），《高校天后》

Raise Your Voice （2004），《劲歌飞扬》

Brave New Girl （2004），《勇踏星途》

The Perfect Score （2004），《超完美夺分》

Coach Carter （2005），《卡特教练》

Ice Princess （2005），《冰上公主》

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants （2005），《牛仔裤的夏天》，

Accepted （2006），《录取通知》

Sydney White （2007），《大学新生》 f8jawQMHHs+gmKn3z6tNbBEPZTWKCHBcsrgkbvPWiMcgYXGTI7R1FdKFE00CwA0E