According to the §110 (1) of Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Act, at nonprofit, accedited ducational institutions (such as Occidental) you are free to display and perform any copyrighted work so long as it meets the pedagogical purposes of your course as part of “face-to-face” teaching. The viewing should be limited to only students participating in your course at the specific time of the material use.
One important additional criteria is that the copy of the film that is screened has to be legally acquired, e.g. a copy that you purchased or borrowed from the library. You can not use a bootlegged or pirated copy.
There are no restrictions on the type or length of work you could perform or screen. You can show a full-length movie, play a full recording of a song, perform arias, read poems, and act out scenes from a play without a license as long as it's within the classroom and meets the Section 110 requirements.
Distance education is covered by §110 (2), also known as the TEACH Act, which is significantly more restrictive that the face-to-face teaching exemption.
For online courses, there are three options for displaying and performing copyrighted works: meeting the requirements of the TEACH Act, asking permission (getting a license), and fair use.
There are two major limitations in the TEACH act. First, the use of “dramatic"* works is restricted to “reasonable and limited portions” which means that, for example, you cannot show an entire copyrighted film like The Avengers in your online class unless you can show that doing so is "reasonable and limited."
The second limitation isthat works specifically created for online or mediated education cannot be used under the TEACH act. (You can still use them by getting permission or a license from the copyright holder or if your use qualifies as a Fair Use.)
If the work is a non-dramatic literary or musical work you can utilize the entire work in your class.
Additionally, the TEACH Act requires:
*The Copyright Act doesn’t define dramatic or non-dramatic. According to Nimmer on Copyright, a dramatic work is "'a written or literary work invented and set in order' in which the narrative is not related but is represented by dialogue and action." It is "a work in which the narrative is told by dialogue and action, and the characters go through a series of events which tell a connected story…"
The performance or showing of films, videos, and TV programs in a similar teaching venue (i.e., not necessarily a classroom) for face-to-face teaching is still covered under Section 110 (1) of the U.S. Copyright Act.
The display or performance must still meet the pedagogical purposes of your course and be limited to those participating in the course.
The display or performance cannot be open to the public or freely available via the Internet.
The main point here is that the venue for teaching does not have to be limited to a traditional classroom. However, the film's use for teaching or educational purposes does need to follow the parameters set out by the TEACH Act.
Use this checklist to see if you are ready to use the TEACH Act
__ My institution is a nonprofit accredited educational institution or a government agency
__ It has a policy on the use of copyrighted materials
__ It provides accurate information to faculty, students and staff about copyright
__ Its systems will not interfere with technological controls within the materials I want to use
__ The materials I want to use are specifically for students in my class
__ Only those students will have access to the materials
__ The materials will be provided at my direction during the relevant lesson
__ The materials are directly related and of material assistance to my teaching content
__ My class is part of the regular offerings of my institution
__ I will include a notice that the materials are protected by copyright
__ I will use technology that reasonably limits the students' ability to retain or further distribute the materials
__ I will make the materials available to the students only for a period of time that is relevant to the context of the class session
__ I will store the materials on a secure server and transmit them only as permitted by this law
__ I will not make copies other than the one I need to make the transmission
__ The materials are of the proper type and amount the law authorizes
__ The materials are not among those the law specifically excludes from its coverage:
__ If I am using an analog original, I checked before digitizing it to be sure: