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COM/AES/WS 489: Ethnicity & Gender in Media |
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Fall 2004
Assignments
Film Representation Project
The purpose of this assignment is to give you the opportunity to conduct your own analysis of media representation and share your findings with your classmates. This assignment asks you to answer the following research question: How do filmmakers from the dominant culture represent minority groups, and how do filmmakers from those groups choose to represent themselves?
Project Overview: The project consists of two parts: 1) critical essay and 2) group presentation. You will be responsible for researching and writing your own critical essay. In addition, you will coordinate with other group members to put together a presentation on your group’s topic for the rest of the class. Your group will explore films dealing with one of the following minority groups:
You will analyze a minimum of three films that include representations of the minority group, at least one from each of the following categories: 1) current film (from the late 1990s-2004) made by a white male filmmaker 1) current film (from the 1990s-2004) made by a filmmaker from the minority group 3) one historical film (see note below) made by a white male filmmaker. Group members may all use the same films for categories 1) and 2), although you may choose different films if you wish. The historical film should be one from the following time periods: 1930s-1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s-mid 1990s. Your group should also have at least one group member cover each of the time periods so that your group can discuss how representation of group over the span of time. Critical Essay: Write a 5-page critical essay that presents your critical analysis of the films you selected. You may focus your essay on a comparison of 2 or 3 of the films you viewed, or you may focus it on one of the films in depth. You will also need to draw upon at least two additional scholarly sources to write this essay. This is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your critical thinking as well as your understanding of issues and concepts raised in this course. What argument(s) can you make about representation in these films based on key concepts we’ve covered in class, insights and analysis from other scholarly sources, as well as your own insights into the films you viewed? Do not merely summarize the film; provide only enough description of the film so that the reader of your essay can follow your line of argument. Provide thoughtful arguments with supporting evidence and examples that relate to issues and ideas addressed in class. Questions to consider in your own analysis:
Your essay should be 5 typed double-spaced pages. Include a bibliography of the sources you used. This essay is due on Monday, 11/15. The essay will graded according to the following criteria:
Group presentation: Each group will have 40 minutes to present the results and conclusions from their critical analyses. You may show clips from your films during your presentation; however, the majority of your presentation should present your group’s analysis. This part of the project will be graded as a group assignment, worth 20 points. Grading will be based on: 1) strength of arguments presented: Were arguments made about the nature of representation in the films? Was evidence presented that supported the arguments? 2) quality of the presentation: Was the presentation cohesive (i.e., it was clearly a group effort and not just a collection of individual presentations)? Was information clear and organized? Was there evidence of preparation? Was the presentation compelling? The goal of the presentation is to help your fellow students learn from the analyses that you have conducted, so the presentations should be as engaging and informative as possible. Presentations will be given on Monday, 11/15 and Wednesday, 11/17. Film Representation Project Resources
NOTE: This is not a comprehensive list—most of these sources are reference materials that will help you find other sources.
General Film Resources UW Library Cinema Studies web site: <http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/CinemaStudies>. This is a great starting point. The library has created an information gateway that lists reference materials and databases that you might want to use to research about film. They also have some links to film databases on the web where you can conduct searches for specific films and filmmakers. Internet Movie Database <http://imdb.com> can be useful, especially since it contains biographical information about filmmakers that may help you identify whether a filmmaker is from the dominant culture or a minority group. Tips: 1) To find relevant movies, use the “Search” window select “plots” from the pull-down menu. 2) Type in the name of the minority group you’re researching. 3) The database should give you a list of film summaries that have that word in them. If you don’t get any titles, go back to step 1 and try a different, related phrase (e.g., “black” instead of “African American”, or “Asian” instead of “Asian American.”) 4) Find out more about interesting titles by clicking on the title name. In the sidebar to the left, click on “main details” to find out more about the specifics of the movie, including any available information about the filmmaker. University Libraries Media Center: This center is located in Odegaard Undergraduate Library. They have a large collection of films on VHS and DVD available for short-term checkout. To check for feature films, check out their website at http://www.lib.washington.edu/media/ Independent video stores: Seattle is fortunate to have many independent video stores that carry a wide range of titles. I’ve found that these stores often carry more independent movies and older films than larger commercial video rental chains and tend to have helpful staff. Scarecrow Video, at 5030 Roosevelt Way NE, has an amazing array of videos and DVDs. You can search their rental inventory on their website: <http://scarecrowvideo.com>. I also recommend Reckless Video, 9020 Roosevelt Way, NE. Other good indie video stores are all over the city, so it’s worth checking out what’s in your neighborhood. General Race Representation in Film: Print References: The following are available from the Reference Collection, Suzzallo Library Ground Floor.
Filmmakers and Film: Print References: The following are available in the Suzzallo Reference Stacks: Encyclopedia of Film Directors in the United States PN1998.2.E53 1993 of America and Europe. 1993- International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers. 1984- PN1997.8.I58 1997 Gays, Lesbians, Bisexual, & Transgender Print References: The following are available from the Reference Collection, Suzzallo Library Ground Floor.
Books on reserve: The following books are on reserve at Odegaard Undergraduate Library:
Videorecording on reserve at the Media Center in Odegaard Undergraduate Library: The Celluloid Closet Native Americans Print References: The following are available from the Reference Collection, Suzzallo Library Ground Floor.
African Americans Print References: The following are available from the Reference Collection, Suzzallo Library Ground Floor.
Books on reserve: The following book is on reserve at Odegaard Undergraduate Library:
Slaying the Dragon. (1987) Latinos/Hispanic Americans Print References: The following is available from the Reference Collection, Suzzallo Library Ground Floor and Odegaard Reference: Hispanics in Hollywood : an encyclopedia of film and television: PN1995.9.H47 R49 1994 Books on reserve: The following books are on reserve at Odegaard Undergraduate Library:
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Last modified: 09/28/2004 6:09 PM |
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