Final Paper

Literary Unit: Interracial Relationships and Film

Blog Setup
Students will be introduced to blogs and explained the purpose of their use. Students will establish their own personal blogs using https://www.blogger.com/start.


Week 1: What are Media Representations?

Objectives:
Students will understand the meaning of meaning of media representations.
Students will understand how racial and ethnic groups are defined in the media.
Students will understand and define their own racial group through the creation of an identity collage.

Open: Students will read article on Gramsci’s Theory (http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-rol6.htm) and read an article discussing the lack of Hispanics on primetime television (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-06-24-Latinos-absent-in-TV_x.htm). These articles will provide a framework for the students to understand media representations of race.

Work: Once students have a developed an understanding of media representations of race, they will create a digital identity collage to define their own race. Students can use any pictures of visuals derived from the internet to create collages. Students will choose a tech tool to (Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, or Movie Maker) to create a collage visual.

Close: Students will compose a one page writing single-spaced explaining why the chosen artifacts represents self and their ethnic group or why the artifacts are not representative of them. Students will also define other racial groups and explain their rationale for defining the groups in the way in which they did. Students will post all work to their blogs.

Week 3: Understanding Film techniques

Objectives:
Students will learn and understand how filmmakers use film techniques to convey certain meanings.
Students will use techniques to critique films.

Open: Student will learn the various films techniques by also choosing their favorite films to analyze. The first step of the process will consist of students familiarizing (not memorizing) themselves with the various types of shots that directors use to convey the messages within a film. The students will view examples of the various shots and then use this acquired knowledge to analyze their favorite scene from a film.

Work: The class will choose 3 of their favorite films that are recommended by MovieLens to use for choosing films to view. I will select 4 crucial events from one of the films and allow students to vote for the scene they would like to view. The selected scene will be used to teach the various camera shots. After acquiring this skill, students will identify the use and purpose of other elements (e.g. music, lighting, etc.) in the film. I think students will understand these concepts more thoroughly when they realize that a favorite movie is enjoyable because of these essential elements. The idea in teaching film literacy concepts is to engage students while they are actively learning.

Close: Student will choose one of the films not used in the model lesson to analyze and write a review on. Sample reviews can be seen at http://www.aintitcool.com/ or http://movies.aol.com/reviews/main.This activity will be conducted in small groups in which the group summarizes the film, explains message being delivered, and explains the film techniques. After group presentations, students will post a one page reflection to their blogs.

Week 4: Media Representation of Race-Cultural and Historical Contexts

Objectives:
Understand historical forces shaping character’s actions and belief systems.

Open: Students will read the following synopsis derived from http://www.moviefone.com/movie/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner/5545/synopsis before viewing Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967).
Synopsis: Old-line liberals Matt and Christina Drayton (Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn) have raised their daughter Joey (Katharine Houghton) to think for herself and not blindly conform to the conventional. Still, they aren't prepared for the shock when she returns home from a vacation with a new fiancé: African-American doctor John Prentice (Sidney Poitier). While they come to grips with whatever prejudices they might still harbor, the younger folks must also contend with John's parents (Roy Glenn Sr. and Beah Richards), who are dead-set against the union. To complicate matters, the older couple's disapproving maid (Isabel Sanford) and Christina's bigoted business associate (Virginia Christine) put in their two cents' worth. While Joey is determined to go ahead with the wedding no matter what people think, John refuses to consider marriage until he receives the unqualified approval of all concerned. The closing monologue delivered by Spencer Tracy turned out to be the last scene ever played by the veteran film luminary, who died not long after the production. The film was a success in the racially volatile year of 1967 and was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won for Hepburn and screenwriter William Rose. - Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After reading of the synopsis, students will view the movie Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) to begin analyzing media representation of interracial couples.

Work: Students will research the historical elements defining the events that shaped the era revolving around 1967. Students will create a timeline illustrating the significant events shaping characters beliefs and actions.

Close: In a 1-2 page response, students will explain how the events on their timeline convey the values and beliefs of the characters in the film.

Week 5: Understanding the Importance of Point of View

Objectives:
Students will describe key information of a text from a prescribed viewpoint.
Students will discuss differing viewpoints.
Students will discover the importance of viewpoint in a text.
Students will compose alternative viewpoints of a selected text.
Open: Teacher will explain to students that point of view refers to how a character or person views a situation. Teacher will model point of view using the following clip:

Teacher will have students to write a brief summary of the clip. Students will answer the questions listed below to get them thinking about each character and their perspective on interracial relationships.
1. Why do you think Dr. Prentice suggests that he goes to a hotel instead of going to meet Joey’s mother?
2. Why do you think the director of the film included a shot of Joey clasping arms with Dr. Prentice? Does this action evoke any type of response from business associate from the gallery? If so, explain.
3. What does Tilly (the maid) mean when she says “I don’t care to see a man of my own race getting above himself”? What can you assume she means by this statement and why might she say something of the sort?
Answers will be discussed within a whole class discussion.
Work: Students will be divided into small groups and will be assigned 10-minute clips of the movie, until the entire movie is assigned. The entire movie can be viewed via YouTube in short segments.
Clip 1 (used in model lesson): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCLmB8qVP5k
Clip 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu6Wv9r4Z78
Clip 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3j5F5AsHik
Clip 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_8IJk6J8K4
Clip 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWHRUKPsnTk
Clip 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCko3cm5cN8
Clip 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBYcKuRiwRo
Clip 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAtXeWxczoM
Clip 9: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3RyWyuwHIw
Clip 10: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXvo8HvcJ0I

Once assigned the clips, students will critique the clips using the skills acquired from week 3 lesson and week 4 lesson. The critiques must depict and validate the characters’ perspectives about interracial relationships using historical significance and director’s use of film techniques. After completing critique, students will be asked to take on the perspective of a character from the film and to rewrite the clip with the character’s actual thoughts. Hint: Teacher should urge students to choose their least favorite character or character’s perspective to explore. Example: Joey’s father (Matt)says, “This has been a very strange day”. What does Matt really mean? The student might rewrite the line to say “It’s a crazy day when you come home and find that your daughter is marrying a Negro”. This activity will allow students to analyze language and get to the point that is trying to be made.
Close: Students will post their rewritten lines to their blog along with a reflection of the activity.


Week 6: Comparison/Contrast of Film

Objectives:
Students will compare/contrast movies.
Students will analyze stereotypes to see how the effects influence/change the perception of interracial dating.

Open: Students will explore the meaning of comparison and contrast through a cooperative learning activity. Students will view clips (introduction of key characters) 2, 3, and 4 of Guess Who (2005) to compare and contrast with Guess Who’s Coming Dinner (1967).
Clip 2: http://www.youtube.com/wwatch?v=JkxlcTLdOCQ
Clip 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR9e5wdsNOM
Clip 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQWlvIav3Vk

Work: Students will work in small groups and answer the following questions after viewing the clips. Are the fathers’ responses to their daughters’ fiancés similar or different? Explain. How do the mothers respond to fiancés? Although the fiancés in both movies are similar in that their races differ from their spouse, in what ways do they differ? If the men exchanged qualities, do you think they would be perceived differently by the prospective in-laws? Does the production of these two movies insist that there is a prescribed formula for when interracial dating is acceptable? How would these perceptions reflect the stereotypes that often depicted by the media about races of people?

Close: Students will post answers from the work session into a comparison/contrast essay to their blogs.

Week 7: Developing a Critical Perspective with the Exploration of Movie Reviews

Objectives:
Students will develop a critical stance on how interracial relationships are portrayed through film.

Open: Students will read movie reviews as a basis for understanding the producers’ intentions for the Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) and Guess Who (2005).

Review 1: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/217412_guess25q.html
Review 2: http://www.accessatlanta.com/movies/content/shared/movies/reviews/G/guesswho/ajc.html

Review 3: http://www.criticsociety.com/review.asp?id=2869

Work: Students will decide if the producers of the movies accomplished the goal of discussing interracial relationships with the production of these two movies. Students will develop their own movie review in which they will assess the movie.

Guiding Questions: Are the real issues/concerns of interracial relationships discussed in the movies? Do the producers offer a variety of perspectives about interracial movies? Does one producer achieve the goal of opening up dialogue about interracial relationships better than the other better than the other? How does the comical satire affect the message of interracial relationships?

Close: Students will post responses to their blog.

Week 8: An Extended Critical Look into Interracial Relationships

Objectives:
Students will understand rationale for the film director's approach with discussing a controversial issue.

Open: Students will view clip of Jungle Fever (1991) to analyze the black female perspective of interracial relationships. Note: Clip contains adult language and may not be appropriate for younger student audiences.
Clip 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpOMQ41UB9c



Work: After viewing the clip, students will discuss their thoughts on the clip.
Guiding Questions: Do you think the director of this film offers a more overt look into interracial marriages? How are these views relevant to the time period in which they occur? How does this perspective differ from Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? The purposes of these questions are to get students to think about how the topic of interracial marriages can be depicted differently by different producers. The screenwriter of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner uses a subtle approach in his canvass of interracial relations whereas screenwriter Spike Lee presents the issues directly. The approach may be influenced by the audience that was intended for the films. Just who were the directors trying to engage in these conversations and were some audiences more ready than others to participate? Students should also realize that even though Jungle Fever was made in 1991, almost 30 years after Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, that racial tensions still existed among different racial groups. So, the remaining question revolves around which movie provides a realistic depiction of the insights into interracial relationships.

Close: Students will post their responses in their blogs and comment on at least 2 of their peers’ blogs about this topic.


Week 9: Wrap-Up

Now that students have spent some time exploring the topic of interracial relationships in film, they will be asked to created a short clip similar to Jungle Fever clip in the previous lesson. Students will conduct a panel discussion that can be composed of a particular social group or contain participants from a various social groups. The panelist will be presented with a scenario similar to the one in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner or Jungle Fever and asked to converse about the topic. Students will analyze the panelists’ responses to see how the acceptance of interracial relationships has evolved during this time period.

Week 10

Communication Objective: Parents need to take on the responsibilities of parenting and stop allowing cable television to rear their children.

Target Audience: This ad is targeted at parents who have neglected their children and hired cable television as the babysitter. The group of parents mostly affected by this ad would be those who are high income earners. At the expense of their high demanding careers, their children have been forsaken and are parented by cable television.

Format: This advertisement can be advertised in parenting magazines, TV commercials, and as pop-up ads on the internet. If the advertisement is presented in parenting magazines, then homemakers and moms with less demanding careers could serve as advocates and initiate the guilt in parents who leave their television set to do the parenting. Advertising with TV commercials would target the children who are constantly watching television and inform them that they are victims of bad parenting. Ultimately, children would see these ads and demand less television and more parenting from mom and dad. Since some parents may never read the parenting magazine and view TV commercials, the use of internet pop-up ads would catch their attention. These internet pop-ups would catch these slacking parents when they sit down to open their most important e-mails.

Concept: The concept of this ad is that parents should invest more time in parenting their children instead of leaving them to be cared for by unsupervised cable television. Parents need to reevaluate their priorities and really think about who is babysitting their children

Visual: The image in this advertisement portrays the sexual appeal that many television shows offer children when they are not being supervised by parents. Although many parents may be fans of shows such as Sex in the City or other sexual provocative dramas or even violent dramas, they fail to realize that these shows are not suitable for their youngsters.

Headline: The headline, “Free In-Home Babysitting” is eye catching because parents are always looking for affordable child care services. For parents in whom money is not an issue, the convenience of the services being provided in the home will be appealing to them.

The Copy: The purpose of this ad is to encourage parents to think about the amount of time they permit their children to spend with cable TV. Although parents have not really hired Comcast’s On Demand feature to babysit, the reality is that children are gaining a majority of their education from shows that are not suitable for them. This argument is not to say that cable TV does not offer educational shows for children to view, but there is a responsibility for parents to choose these types of shows for their children. If parents fail to surrender to the demands of parenting, then their youngsters will grow up pursuing the sexual and violent images they see offered through cable TV. It is imperative that parents discuss these critical issues without simply allowing for the modern day babysitter, TV, to construct their identity and reality.

Week 9

In 2003, the hip- hop group Black Eyed Peas wrote their hit song, Where is the Love, in response to the attacks of September 11. The song is an anti-war anthem that speaks out against the war that was irresponsibly launched to fight terrorism. This song also tackles other global issues that are ignored and falsely depicted to the public. Where is the Love is significant in American history because it provided an outlet for the American citizens and a reality check for all those in denial about the tension in the world.

The purpose of the song is evident in its lyrics. As stated in Where is the Love, “What's wrong with the world mama/ People livin' like they ain't got no mamas/I think the whole world addicted to the drama/Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma”. The lyrics of the song convey the idea that people have become active participants in the chaos in the world, and as a result caused the lost of love. The USA has turned all of its attention to a war veiled with secrets, while gangs, discrimination, killing, CIA, and superficial ministers rot the nation of the USA.

The significance of this song would be best explained to a group of people who did not partake in its historical making by understanding the realm of political hypocrisy occurring at the time. President George W. Bush had recently been elected into office after a controversial and somewhat heated election. Supposedly, he unfairly won the presidential election and his agenda for politics were more personal than business. The rumor at the time was that President George Bush had a personal vendetta for Saddam Hussein from the previous reign of his father George Bush. Due to the president’s ego, the USA and its citizens became the victims of terrorists’ attacks.

Where is the Love, served as tool for reflection and as a “wake up call” for people to love again. Black Eyed Peas enlightened society about the time in which they are living with this hit song. People had become so conditioned and accepting of the turmoil of everyday life that they failed to see that there was a lack of love in the world. By recognizing the hatred that destroys our moral values and unity in the world, the vision of Where is the Love can someday be accomplished.

Week 8

WSB-TV
Channel 2 Action News
6 PM Broadcast
November 7, 2008


Viewing Log

Story/Time
Top Story: The ongoing trial of Brian Nichols is finally coming towards an end. Brian Nichols is on trial for a murderous rampage that he went on three years ago. He murdered four people (courthouse and government officials), carjacked five people, and kidnapped one person for escape. 4 min
Local News Story: Sheriff’s plan to improve court house safety to prevent any future incidents such as the Brian Nichols rampage from occurring again.
1 min, 10 secs

Weather: Brad Nitz provides the weather for the 3-Day forecast.
1 min

Commercial Break
2 mins

National News: Discuss President Elect Barack Obama’s transition into White House
3 mins

Local News: Fulton county election officials finally completes absentee ballot that will determine if there will be a runoff race between Republican Saxby Chambliss and Jim Martin for the Senator of Georgia
45 secs

Local News: Plans from Chambliss and Martin are revealed for campaigning possible senate race runoff. Saxby Chambliss plans to fly in John McCain to help him, and Martin has contacted President Elect Barack Obama. Obama has not yet responded.
2 min, 20 secs

Quick Reports
Consumer Reporting: Credit card fraud is increasing as we get closer to the holiday season. Business will be checking the last 4 digits of your credit card to make sure that match with numbers printed that appear on the receipt.
Local News: New insights into the Brian Nichols’ case
News Ad: Stay tuned for ABC World News later.
About 30 seconds each

Commercial Breaks
3 mins

Local News: Brian Nichols has been found guilty on all counts of charges
3mins

Local News: Police arrest four people in connection to murders and a series of assaults in Atlanta.
1 min

Local News: Road Work
45 secs

Weather: More updates for the upcoming weather for the weekend and the week
2 mins, 30 secs


News Analysis
The news report began with local news reporting of the Brian Nichols case. Nichols has been on trial for 3 years and 8 months, a time period that has been too long for victims and the communities deeply affected by this tragedy. The seriousness and importance of this report was evident by the f the our minutes that were allotted to it in the news reporting. After a direct report on the Nichols case, a reporting of plans of improvement of the Fulton County courthouse was given. At the beginning of this reporting, it seemed as if this was a different local news topic until the reporting reverted back to the topic of Brian Nichols again. During these obviously related reportings, the stories were introduced by one of the stations lead news anchors, Monica Kaufman, but told in its entirety by one of its male news anchors. The news that the community will soon be safe from the merciless killer is rendered by the station’s white male reporter validates the news report.

The evening news continues their report by providing updated information on the elections for a Georgia senator. The updated report on the vote counting is given along with the candidates plan for a runoff race. Again, two different headline titles are used for reporting the same story. Maybe the use of the headlines is a tactic to keep the audience engaged in watching the news reports. During the 30-minute report, it seems as if I watched the news report on the same topics repeatedly.

Before the 30-minutes news segment was complete, the news station continued to provide updated reports on the Brian Nichols case. Clearly, there was an agenda behind all of these reports on Mr. Nichols. By the way, he was never given the respect of being addressed as mister. At least half of this 30-minute news had been structured as a tribute to the slain Judge Barnes that Nichols murdered over 3 years ago. It was if the news station were speaking to him and saying, “Judge Barnes you are not forgotten and we will do our best to make sure justice is served in your honor”. In addition, “your community and loved ones do not have to worry about a plague like this ever affecting them again”. Well, I don’t want to call any names, but I wonder what were the demographics for the people who viewed this evening report.

Other news during the segment included three minutes allotted to national news focused on President Elect Barack Obama’s transition into the White House which received less air time than the local weather. Other news stories briefly discussed consumer reporting, road work, murder arrests, and economy reports which all received 30 to 45 seconds of news reporting. It can be assumed that whatever affects a community the most is what is aired on the local news. No offense to Mr. Obama for the short time allotted to him during this news segment. Topics of concern to the Georgia conservatives were on the agenda tonight due to current priorities to ensure their piece of mind through justice and a republican elected official.


Teaching Critical Analysis

A possible teaching activity would consist of students choosing two different news stations to research and analyze. Students will gain research skills by researching what corporate companies own news stations and finding out the history of these companies. Research in the history of these companies should assist with helping the students in discovering what kind of ideological stance or perspectives companies have about the world.

Afterwards, students will choose a current major headline story. They will analyze how the two news stations report the events. Questions to guide their inquiry include: (1) Who are the news reporters (identify gender and race and impact on reporting news if any)? (2) Do they provide alternative perspective of news reports? (3) Do they use coded language and what group of people does this language appeal to? (4) Is the antagonist in the story humanized or dehumanized? (5) What types of headlines are used to report the story? (6) What kind of film clips of the story are used to report it to the public (any exclusion of material and affects)?

Once students have analyzed the story, they will compose their research and all findings in a comparison/contrast expository essay. Students will also create a 6-8 minute presentation incorporating some form of technology to present their findings. Grading will be based on a rubric that students will be completed by both teacher and student for grading.

Week 7

Media Representation of Politics, Ideology, and Race

This season of politics has really entrenched me in consuming a lot of news reports on politics. I tend to keep the television tuned into the CNN, the local news stations, and I record The View. Majority of the time, these news sources present their reports on the 2008 presidential elections strictly along the lines of politics without too much elaboration on other influencing factors. OK, not exactly, because discussions pertaining to Obama’s Jeremiah Wright , Sarah Palin’s pregnant teenage daughter, and McCain’s close association with President Bush definitely influenced voters perceptions of the candidates. The factors that were not discussed included how the personal beliefs and biases of news anchors affect how they present the news to the public. I think this particular aspect influences how Americans perceive the news no matter what the facts may be.

One of the most popular and influential television shows during the height of politics is day time talk show, The View. The show is composed of a group of women from diverse backgrounds with various views and beliefs. The cast members consist of Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherrie Shepherd, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, and Barbra Walters. The first segment of the show is designated for hot topics, in which the 2008 presidential elections have been the focus. Based on the discussions, it is not too difficult to determine what political party the cast members are affiliated with. Whoopi Goldberg and Barbra Walters appear to be Independents with host Joy Behar as a Democrat and Elizabeth Hasselbeck as a Republican. Sherrie shares her political views along the lines of neutral because she seems to never really position herself along any party line.

Recently there have been several heated discussions about politics that have called attention to the hosts' personal beliefs about race and culture.



In this particular video, Whoopi Goldberg and Elizabeth Hasselbeck bump heads in a discussion about the N word and whether blacks and whites are from the same world. The conversation was initiated by a discussion that Jesse Jackson was participating in about Obama and the N word. Elizabeth argues that we are all from the same world while Whoopi argues that we are from different worlds. The phrases black people and white people are not used in the conversation, but listener and audience participants can allude to this idea. The commentator of this video clarifies this idea by explicitly stating that there is black America's perspective and white America's perspective. Because the experiences of two races of people are different, the perceptions are different. This is one example of how race and culture influence how the hosts of the show convey topics to the public and how it is perceived about them.

In another session of political controversy, the hosts engage in a heated discussion ignited by the decline in poll results of Sarah Palin's likability. During an argument with Joy Behar, Elizabeth states that Barack Obama almost had her vote before the DNC. She says he lost her vote due to his extreme left wing views. After Elizabeth has tolerated all she can from Joy’s advocating of democratic candidate Barack Obama, she asks Joy if she wants some more of Barack Obama's kool-aid. Joy responds to Elizabeth’s statement by saying that it was low, but no other interjections were made to the statement. What exactly did Elizabeth mean by the kool-aid statement? Why does Elizabeth choose to associate the beverage of kool-aid with Barack Obama? What personal ideologies and cultural upbringings might influence Elizabeth to make this comment? Does Elizabeth's comments and political views imply that she is a racist?



Complete clip of kool-aid discussion


After the invitation for the Obama kool-aid, Elizabeth defends herself for wearing The Great AMERICAIN Hero t-shirt. She says the t-shirt was not meant for any negative connotation. She says if people are complaining about her t-shirt, then it must be because they are voting for Barack Obama. John McCain definitely has Elizabeth’s vote and the republican party has her allegiance because Elizabeth states McCain be seen across her shirt even if she was naked. Wow!!!!




During a CNN segment, AC360: Race and Politics, a panel of political panelists engage in a discussion about the effects of race in the 2008 presidential elections. Before the discussion CNN advertises the most recent poll results in which 70% of Americans says that race is not a factor in their decision for voting for a presidential candidate. The political analysts discuss how the race of voters determine how they perceive the world and ultimately how they will vote. This ideas relates to the previously mentioned discussion between Whoopi Goldberg and Elizabeth Hasselbeck on The View about the N word and the different worlds of Americans. The analysts talk about how the candidates' appeal to voters using code words such as “soccer moms”, and “Wal-Mart Moms”. This discussion forces you to think about all the colormute ways in which the media presents the world of politics to America.



How do the ideas and opinions of the media whether implicitly or explicitly stated affect how news anchors or television talk show hosts convey the ideas of the 2008 presidential election? Although the jobs of these media sources are to convey the facts to the public, sometimes their personal belief systems influence how the message is presented. When a close ear is given to the statements and responses of media reporters, there is an obvious message being conveyed. If you listen hard enough, you will discover that people are telling you about their culture, race, beliefs,and prejudices, and not only about a political party affiliation. The media has a method of appealing to our concerns by releasing fears that remind us that we are all products of different worlds. In the mist of this turmoil, we are reminded that the equilibrium between the conflicting worlds may not be as tangible as we think.

Week 6

The setting of this online social network takes place on YouTube. YouTube is a video sharing website that allows users to upload, share, view, and comment on videos. Participants consist of unregistered and registered users with only registered users having complete access to the social network’s features. This media analysis will entail examining responses of a group of YouTube participants after viewing a skit of Sarah Palin and Tina Fey on television show Saturday Night Live (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdDqSvJ6aHc). In the skit, Palin and Fey engage in a discussion about sexism which is drenched in comical commentary that contrasts Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton. There are a total of 4,250 comments listed for this video, and I will focus on the most recent posts within a 24 hour period. The group’s responses are charted in a chart in order to analyze to conversations in response to the video. Many of the responses of the participants deviate from the discussion of sexism to talk about related but unrelated topics.

In the discussion, Timebandit720 and Trepidorz agree that McCain and Palin are not the best choice for president and vice president. Trepidorz states that McCain is more of the same and Trimebandit720 supports Trepidorz by stating that McCain lacks suitability based on his incompetency to select a descent vice president. Onlyoneme72032’s response to the discussion is to vote for McCain and Palin because Obama is clearly affiliated with the wrong people. Parathesia intervenes and reverts the conversation back to the topic of sexism. He also neutralizes the debate between the participants by stating that he is not a supporter of any of candidates for president. The topic of sexism is also discussed by Hellboy1976, DarktoothTM, Rappmastert, and Fatjoshk. They all comment in saying that Tina Fey is hot. It’s difficult to understand if Hellboy1976 is referring to Fey doing a hot job with the skit or Fey as a “hottie”. The participants that post the hot comments only post once, but their playful and sexist comments assist in redirecting the conversation back to sexism.

For many of the participants, the Saturday Night Live clip was not the focus of their discussion. The common ground that was shared by all of the participants is that they used this video as a space for discussion about the presidential elections and social connections. During the discussion, none of the participants changed their perspectives on the candidates or attempted to discuss sexism. Respondents remain loyal to their candidates and previous beliefs before the discussion. In a similar manner, participants much like the presidential candidates are using the discussion platform to bicker rather than talk about the topics.



People 3 hrs ago 4 -5hrs ago 6-9 hrs ago 18-19 hrs ago 20 hrs ago

Onlyoneme72032 Argues that feminists are for pro-abortion and not prochoice Vote for McCain-Palin, Obama’s experience is working for Acorn, took him 20 yrs to spot a racist like Jeremiah Wright

Hellboy1976 Tina fey does a good job , she’s hot and Palin twat

Trepidorz McCain won’t be more of the same, right? Connection between Obama and Ayers (lol he was only 8 yrs old

DarktoothTM
Rappmastert
Fatjoshk Tina Fey is hot indeed, watch my videos, their pretty funny

Parathesia I support neither candidate and I thought we were talking about sexism, palin is not only being criticized b/c she is a woman

Timebandit720 U really got to wonder about the suitability of McCain if he choose someone as dimwitted and inarticulate as Sarah Palin

Week 5

I thought the phenomena of femininity would be an interesting topic to explore. In thinking about my own adoption of femininity, I realized how various media representations shaped my perceptions. Television shows and movies are consistently enforcing the ideas of femininity into the minds of young girls and women. Television shows such as America’s Next Top Model and soap operas such as The Young and the Restless are advocating for femininity acceptable roles of women. Tyra’s America’s Next Top Model shows women the beauty of wearing makeup, couture clothing, and obtaining an acceptable friendly and lady-like attitude. Women who are lesbian are even transformed into becoming more of an acceptable lady. This modeling TV series exemplifies its tolerance for diversity while silently adapting the lesbian women (“the other”) to mainstream feminine identity. The overall message being conveyed implies that it is not enough to take good pictures unless you really believe and consume the values that produce a true American woman.

Along with these television shows, commercials are constantly aiding in shaping the idea of femininity for women. From the CoverGirl and Revlon commercials to the Electrolux commercials, women are being conformed to consume a feminine identity. As depicted by the Cover Girl commercial, pretty girls use Cover Girl products and are eye of attention where ever they go. If women don’t want to appear as odd and weird individuals, then they need to use the products that make them appealing and that validate them as women. There have also been several advertisements from the Electrolux appliance company with Kelly Ripa from Live With Regis and Kelly. The commercial shows Kelly as the all-American mom who can take on anything with the Electrolux appliances. The commercial begins with Kelly doing her laundry chores and ending with her making warm baked chocolate chip cookies for her three daughters. This is comical because all girls and no boys are shown as her children in this commercial. The girls will soon follow in their mother’s footsteps and become good wives, mothers, and nurturers. The media representation of femininity in the
Electrolux commercial was definitely structured to appeal to women and encourage them to be the best woman they can be.

I can recall consuming these identities as a young girl and even now as a young woman. One of my favorite movies and greatest model of femininity was the 1995 movie Clueless. Obtaining the identity of Cher and Dionne was the ultimate goal of every young girl. The movie even contrasts the old version of Tai and the reinvented version of Tai which depicts the reinvented Tai as popular and desirable. Today’s Sex and the City has every young woman thinking about fashionable clothing and relationships. The idea of femininity has been so strongly instilled into the minds of both men and women until they are unable to reject the ideas. Ultimately, women will have stand up and decide on how they want to define their identities and not given into the readily available media representations.

Sheila Jeffreys, a writer of feminism psychology, discusses how femininity has transformed over the years. In Jeffreys’ book, Beauty and Misogyny (2005), she critiques modern western beauty practices. Jeffreys’ views of femininity differ greatly from the views depicted by the media. Practices such as lipstick wearing and enlargement of the breasts that were once loathed are now admired and acceptable practices for women. She argues that western beauty practices are performed only for the satisfaction of men. These choices are not for women’s individual expression of self, but as a means of oppressing women. The ideas within this are of psychology are not aligned with the ideas that are depicted in the media. Women need to become self-advocates of their feminism without the oppressive values of the media.

Week 4

Audience analysis of media text focuses on how media texts use language, signs, and images to position audiences to adopt certain desired responses, beliefs, or practices (Beach, p.34). Audience analysis seeks to discover the audience’s identification by attempting to associate them with a group of activities. It is important to understand that audience analysis views audiences not as passive participants, but as active consumers. The media tries to socialize these consumers to think their consumption will lead them to a route of popularity and status. Students can relate to this concept if they think about their consumption of brand name clothes. Consuming expensive brand name clothes allow students the opportunity to gain popularity among their peers in school. This popularity means that they can identify with a particular group of people and are actively participating in this activity because of their own desire. Unfortunately, the critical analysis of students’ actions may show that they may or may not be admitted agency to these desires.

Semiotic theory places focus on the social and cultural meanings of sign and codes. Semiotic theory is similar to the aspect of assigning stereotypes or preconceived consumptions to signs, codes, and possibly people. For example, the display of two painting in two different colors would have different meanings depending on the perception of the person. A solid white picture and a solid black picture can be interpreted with several meanings. The solid white picture might represent purity to one person while representing mediocrity to another. An all black picture might represent fear to one individual while representing beauty to another. People decode the meaning of objects and people in daily life by utilizing the social and cultural beliefs that have been instilled in them.

I like the use of narrative analysis to analyze the narrative structures in texts and television shows. These narratives can also be used to analyze how media texts reflect cultural values. The idea of using television shows that reflect the persistent problem of crime to discuss bigger ideas is an excellent way to discuss cultural values.

The poststructuralist analysis focuses on how language categories in media texts influence the perceptions of characters and audience. Media tends to define the meaning of binaries along definite terms while also blurring the meanings at the same time. This analysis would serve as a great tool to discuss the issues of identity that so many students cope with on a daily basis. Media texts and multicultural literature that focus on GLBT issues can be analyzed using this analysis tool.

Critical discourse analysis focuses on what lens or perspective people use to interpret the world. I think this is a great way for students to think about their cultural values and belief systems influence how they perceive the world. Students will interpret media texts and life experiences using critical discourse. Although each student will use their own critical discourse when interpreting media texts, it is important that they are open-minded in engaging with alternative perspectives.

The psychoanalytic theories include the feminist analysis, postmodern analysis, and the postcolonial analysis. The feminist analysis points to sexist portrayals of both men and women. This analysis could be used in conjunction with the poststructuralist analysis to discuss gender and language categories. Postmodern analysis questions the modernists’ beliefs about truth, progress, human improvement, art, and science that are supposed to lead happiness and fulfillment. This analysis forces the individual to think about multiple realities and what is possibly authentic and what is possibly not. Finally, the postcolonial analysis explores ways in which colonial conceptions of the world are depicted in media texts. This analysis allows for the examination of colonial conceptions of Third World places and culture to be viewed around the idea of their fears of the “other”

Week 3 Response/ Analysis

Response
Film can be viewed at: mins 96:48-99:02
website: http://www.videosinhd.com/mega.html?file=H129RQTC
One of my favorite movies is the Spiderman Collection, especially Spiderman 3. There is this one scene where Parker (Spiderman) loses his mind that makes me laugh over and over again. In this particular scene, Parker takes another woman to the jazz club where his ex-girlfriend, Mary Jane, works as a singer. This scene employs the use of backlighting that sets the romantic mood of the jazz club. This effect of lighting is displayed throughout the entire jazz club scene. The introduction of Parker and his new companion is also accompanied by soft light jazz music that also assists in establishing the mood for the scene. The producer uses several medium shots of Parker and his companion to introduce the audience to the couple. After the audience has familiarized themselves with Parker’s new companion, there is the use of an establishing shot to present the jazz club as the setting of all the action. As the scene progresses and Parker and his companion have been assigned a table, the mood of the scene begins to change. This change is signified by introduction of an up tempo jazz song called You Give Me Fever. The director uses this section within scene to portray the character’s alter egos. As Mary Jane begins to sing, Parker decides to accompany her by playing the piano. Parker remixes the song and then starts on a series of ludicrous acts. He jumps on top of the piano and then the camera incorporates several pan and tracking shots that engage the audience as a participant in Parker’s escapade. These particular shots force the viewer’s eyes to move back and forth in order to follow the main character in these series of actions. The director’s use of these shots exemplifies his ability to demand and focus attention on the main character. The elements of setting, music, lighting, and film shots all assist in understanding the dilemma that is plaguing Parker. Parker fulfills his desire to become his alter ego in this scene, but discovers that he hurts others by becoming this person.

Student will learn the various films techniques by also choosing their favorite films to analyze. The first step of the process will consist of students familiarizing (not memorizing) themselves with the various types of shots that directors use to convey the message within a film. The students will view examples of the various shots and then use this acquired knowledge to analyze their favorite scene from a film. The class will choose 3 of their favorite films that are recommended by MovieLens to use for choosing films to view. I will select 4 crucial events from the film and allow students to vote for the scene they would like to view. The selected scene will be used to teach the various camera shots. After acquiring this skill, students will identify the use and purpose of other elements (e.g. music, lighting, etc.) in the film. I think students will understand these concepts more thoroughly when they realize that a favorite movie is enjoyable because of these essential elements. The idea in teaching film literacy concepts is to engage students while they are actively learning.

Shot-By-Shot Analysis
Funny Levi’s Commercial
View Commercial At: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1198960/funny_commercial/


This link includes a shot-by-shot analysis of a Levi’s blue jeans commercial. I found this commercial listed under the topic of funny commercials. The word chart provides a non visual analysis of 9 crucial shots in the commercial. The type of shot is identified and then an analysis is provided for why the shot was filmed in the particular way.




Shot # Type of Shot Explanation
Shot 1:
Car Pulls intogas station
Establishing Shot Identifies setting of the commercial
Shot 2:
Woman concealed in coat, sunglasses, and wig frantically enters restroom and stands in corner Medium Shot Identifies main character

Shot 3:
Blind man sitting on bench drops stick Extreme Long Shot Identifies blind man as an additional main character

Shot 4:
Woman removing clothing and accessories Medium Shot Focuses on the woman undressing and revealing her true identity. This shot evokes some sexuality by portraying woman in undergarments

Shot 5:
Camera shifts back and forth the between blind man and woman Wide-Angle Lens
Point-Of-View Shot Shows the relationship of blind man and woman, presented from blind man’s point-of-view

Shot 6:
Woman walks towards blind man and slowly buttons blue jeans Close-Up Shot Direct shot of woman’s stomach, seductive, invites audience as passive participant along with blind man

Shot 7:
Shot of man’s hand flushing toilet Close-Up shot Signifies shame and disgust of the woman and her actions, director does not reveal identity of other person in restroom

Shot 8:
Woman runs out of restroom while staring back at blind man Long Shot Reestablishes main characters and ends the relationship between the man and the woman

Shot 9:
Man walks out of bathroom stall and blind man gives him the stick

Close-Up Shot Nonverbal exchange reveals that the blind man is not blind and comically reveals what has really occurred in the commercial

Week 2

The DeKalb County School System has recently reconstructed the language arts curriculum in an effort to improve reading scores on the state’s standardized test. The rationale for this new literacy curriculum is based on a scientifically-based research instructional program called SpringBoard. The purpose of this curriculum is to actively engage all students through meaningful, content based, student centered, inquiry based, differentiated instruction by requiring the application of higher level thinking skills across the curriculum to demonstrate greater literacy. SpringBoard is expected to be used on a daily basis in teaching while utilizing the school’s basal series reading textbook as supplemental material. Fortunately, unlike many language arts curriculums, SpringBoard incorporates film viewing in many of its lessons. Students are given the opportunity to view Lion King, Anne of Green Gables, and The Mighty to name a few. Although these films are included in the SpringBoard curriculum, they tend not to extend students learning beyond media participation and introducing communication in multimodal ways. Parents usually perceive media studies as being a waste of time- a waste of very important instructional time. Parents were accepting of the films that were viewed in the SpringBoard literacy curriculum because students took lesson instructions and worksheets home with the SpringBoard stamp of approval. Material that was not prescribed by the researched-based curriculum would be considered irrelevant and a distraction from teaching students the necessary basic skills.

The ideal literacy curriculum that incorporates media studies beyond the SpringBoard curriculum and film viewing would focus on students developing literacy skills to make connections with texts via the use of several media tools. For example, after a viewing of The Mighty, students would extend their literacy connections by visiting the film’s website and accessing other digital texts. Students can explore the themes of friendship, bullying, and otherness by reading reviews and analyzing statistics. Students can discuss their thoughts in blogs that can be shared with classmates and with other students in the school or across the globe. The digital text of The Mighty can also be compared and contrasted with the print text of Bridge to Terabithia to develop the skill of making connections across different texts. Students would exemplify their understanding of the concepts by constructing their ideas in Inspiration created concept map that would include hypertext and visuals that would lead to further thinking.

In addition to focusing on the literacy of making connections, students would also acquire the literacies of problem solving and building social relationships in digital spaces. Students can create game simulations in which the characters from The Mighty and The Bridge of Terabithia join forces and share how friendship bonds cans be used to overcome bullying. Within this simulation, bullies, teachers, peers, and the media would play a role in how the problem of bullying is viewed and solved. Once these problem solving skills are developed, students can present their ideas and thoughts in the virtual space of Second Life. Second Life will provide students with a safe space in which they can alter their identities and comfortably voice their opinions without the hassle or judgment from others.

The value of acquiring the litearcies is that students are learning the necessary skills for literacy competency beyond textbooks and the simple engagement of a film. The curriculum that I propose for my school urges students to become active participants and critical thinkers. Students are reading and writing in multimodal ways while critically evaluating and engaging with texts. I think parents and others who may doubt the academic effects of media studies will be more accepting of this type of learning when it’s evident that students are responding to this type of learning. The use of multiple literacies in language arts curriculum does leave me with one lingering question. What does the implementation of media studies mean for standardized tests that may be unable to test the new level of knowledge that students have acquired. It seems that traditional testing will no longer work since students are no longer learning in traditional ways.

Week 1 Response

Chapter one of Teaching Media Literacy provided a framework for how media literacy should be implemented into the curriculum. It begins by acknowledging the difficulties that teachers will encounter when trying to justify teaching media studies. I think it is only practical that this issue will be viewed by some parents and school officials as being frill learning. The relevance of media studies in the classroom is found in students’ frequent interaction with media outside of the classroom. Students are constantly engaging in MySpace and Facebook websites, blogging, and DVD viewing, so the rationale for bringing media studies into the classroom is even more justifiable. The chapter clearly states that that media studies can teach students to learn in multimodal ways, how to engage and evaluate texts, understand how media constructs reality, and recognize the forces that help to shape media.

The animation cartoon relates to several of the ideas that are discussed in chapter 1 of Beach. The high school girl learns the negative aspects of the media through a personal experience she endures after an interview. It is important that students understand the forces that help shape how they perceive the media as consumers. The high school animation character unveils the some of the hidden truths about the media’s ability to tell the truth and the companies who own them. As teachers, I think it is important that we teach students to have appreciation for the media, but not to be naïve as to never question it.

The Battleground Minnesota video presents students as active participants in the media. The purpose of media is not only for consuming, but also for active participation. Shakademic uses the media to motivate young voters to become more involved in politics, while the animation character uses the media to broadcast the real side of her story. As teachers, we can show students how to consciously consume media.

I agree with Beach that parental involvement is necessary in order to incorporate media studies into the curriculum. It will take both teachers and parents to teach students how partake in meaningful engagement with all the media sources. Students should understand and have a reason for their use of media tools, especially the ones created by them. The personal blog does not have to be academically associated, but the student should have an established purpose. Parents can assist their children in developing their thinking process during media consumption. By providing homework prompt questions, teachers can ensure that parents understand the critical thinking that is trying to be fostered through media studies. Once parents understand the objectives of media studies, they will become more concerned about how the media is shaping the perceptions of their children. Both children and parents will be forced to think more critically about these ideas.

It is often difficult to think about routine daily tasks such as TV viewing, film watching, social networking, and even music listening beyond the means of leisure engagement. These simple activities offer a space for authentic learning about real world people and events. Media studies provide the opportunity to explore the truths and false realities of this constructed information. Students can continue to learn the basic skills through these more engaged methods instead of being confined to prescribed textbooks.