Video Games 220: Final Fantasy

Lately I've been somewhat obsessed with creating mock syllabi for fake classes. Ever since my first 'fun' class (Harry Potter), I've wondered what it would be like to have my other hobbies/interests in a college class form.

I think that Final Fantasy games would work well as the core subject matter of a class that focuses on how stories are expressed through the RPG video game medium. I envision that this class, as a college class, would basically have a weekly workload that would consist of playing a certain amount of some mainline title.

Anyway, which Final Fantasy games do you think would have to be on my syllabus? For those of you who've taken university classes, you probably know that more often than not, you're unable to do an entire body of work, but you pick those titles that best convey different aspects of the subject. My biggest concern for this imaginary syllabus is how many of the FF games should I assign for a semester. They are a time investment after all...it takes much longer to beat these games than to finish a novel or do a problem set for a math class (at least in my experience).

So, my questions for you:
1) Which FF games HAVE to be on the syllabus?
2) How many FF games do you think should be taught in the class? Keep in mind that a semester is usually only about 5 months long, and you'd have to take your FF class along with your other classes. I think that 10 hours a week is a reasonable amount of time to devote to a class. Keep in mind that you'd have to assign projects in the class so that the students produce actual work based on the material (the games themselves).
3) Would you require that your students get 100% completion or just beat the game? Would you assign grades based on how much of the game was completed (since, you know, beating uber bosses might show that one has a greater understanding of the gameplay aspects of the title)?
4) Would you include a spinoff title? If so, which ones?
5) What would be the theme of your Final Fantasy class? When I took Harry Potter, it was called "Christian Theology and Harry Potter," so we read all of the HP books and some readings concerning theology. Christianity is obviously not the only lens through which you can read HP, but it was the lens my professor chose for her course. I feel like some potential themes could be "The History of Final Fantasy/Square Enix (you'd have to draw from other titles)," "Death and Final Fantasy," "Gameplay Innovations," "The History of Ivalice and the expansion of a Game World across Mediums" etc.

This topic might seem unwieldy, but I find it fun. My FF class would probably feature FF I (obviously), IV (for introducing deeper storylines), VII (so we can study what made the series mainstream), IX (to illustrate how Square revisits and perfects its old devices), X (new technology), and XII (big changes).

Yeah, so I hope somebody besides myself might have fun with this idea. I would love to take a class like this, though I think it would be a helluva lot of work. :p

1. tactics, 4,6,7,10 and X-2(to show how it would be if every game was sequeled),11(since its the first online version), and crystal chronicles...cause every class has something not many people like
2. the ones above mainly and a few others if they can.
3. I would have to say that just completing it would get a b maybe, and 100% would be extra credit for anything needed
4. a FF class would definatly have to have soem of its best competition, like the legend of dragoon, chrono trigger, and dragon quest; anyone that has played a FF game knows of those and without them it just seems as if a piece of the world is missing you know
5. "Life through gaming"....class name idea....not the best but just off the top of my head