Just a thought I'd like to throw out: The MPAA ratings system is, by its own definition, a tool for parents to determine what films they feel are suitable for their children. It is not, according to their own rhetoric, meant to be prohibitive - though it obviously is. (it's also a de facto form of censorship, but I won't get into that now.) By those standards, is there any reason why educators should pay any attention to film ratings? I'd hate to think that we are assuming roles of surrogate parents when we prepare our classes.. But to take another approach, just as a parent presumably should be using the rating system to determine what their children see, rather than accepting it as an authoritative value judgment, don't we, as educators, make that same decision when we decide that there is some value in exposing our students to "A Clockwork Orange" or "Psycho"AA Clockwork Orange". ? Some of the recent comments on this have compared this issue to other classes in which a student may object to ideas which contradict their religious beliefs (my wife recently took a class on "The Bible as Literature" in which several students objected to reading the text as anything other than the Word of God) or literature classes in which students may object to racist language in "Huckleberry Finn". But only in film studies do we face the obstacle - albeit a largely symbolic one - of a pre-existent ratings system. Personally, I think it's one we're better off ignoring. What rating do you suppose "Un Chien Andalou" would get anyway???? Robert Hunt Adjunct faculty Webster University ---- To sign off Screen-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF Screen-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]