The Assignment
Find a concept discussed in the first half of the course that interested you. Your chosen concept should include some social issue that we have addressed, rather than just a film history or theory idea. (So, instead of the use of light and shadow in film noir, the representation of women in film noir. OR instead of discussing the work of John Ford, you might discuss film's use of binary opposition to approach societal issues). You will want to choose a topic that is interesting to you, because otherwise, you will find the assignment to be very boring.Next, go to the Strozier library or get on the FSU Library website and start a search for scholarly articles on your topic. (You will see on the page "Find articles, journals, and databases.") You can search by subject (like "film" or "women's studies") or keyword ("femme fatale" or "binary opposition"). If you need assistance with finding an article, visit the library and speak with the people at the Reference desk. Believe me, this will be worth your time--knowing how to find scholarly articles is something that will absolutely benefit you during your college education.
Once you have found an article that you feel is interesting, you will review it for the class. Your review should include a summary of the article, including an explanation of the articles main arguments. (What is the article's thesis? its conclusions?.) Then you will briefly discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the article. Please be thoughtful in stating your opinions--this is an academic assignment, so you should maintain some respect for the author's effort and you should make sure that you can support your opinions with examples.
Also, please do not evaluate the article as being "too dense or difficult to understand." You are undergraduates reading above your level (these papers are written for a community of scholars). So, of course, the first article you read may be challenging. Do your best.
Your review (summary and evaluation combined) should be 400-500 words. Post it as a comment on our blog. Be sure to begin your post stating the author, article title, journal title (, and database used (like JSTOR, etc).
If you have any questions, please contact me as soon as possible.
1 comment:
Author: JoEllen Shively
Article Title: Cowboys and Indians: Perceptions of Western Films Among American Indians and Anglos
Journal Title: American Sociological Review
Database: JSTOR
Shively conducted a survey in which American Indians and Anglos answered a questionnaire on their views of Western films. They both seemed to like Western films but for different reasons. The Indians believed that Western films portrayed the land as free and it signified independence. On the other hand, Anglos thought of Western films as a something that is in their own history and ancestry, those who made the West evolve to what it is today. In the study, she gives reasons on how different groups find meaning in cultural products. She also questions if Indians like Western films that portray them as the “bad guys” and are mistreated because they are different. Anglos seem to like all kinds of Western films because there is not really any oppression towards their race or group. There is a specific example that she used in her study asking questions about the Western film, The Searchers. What she found is that people usually identify with the group that closely matches theirs, or the group or figure that the director portrays a certain way so that the audience will identify him. Both groups did identify character values differently though because they viewed them based on their own personal interests. The typical “Cowboys and Indians” type film did not stray any one group away from watching it, even though the nickname may seem to hinder a certain group from watching such a film.
There are many strengths to this article because it gives a clear analysis of American Indians and Cowboys and their perceptions of Western films. They were studied and asked specific questions that would determine whether or not they found these types of films enjoyable and how it affected them. It turns out that the Indians were not bothered by the fact that their group were usually the ones being demoralized or exploited, they saw the film and related to it in some other way that was entertaining. Anglos saw these films as if it was something from their ancestral past that they can look back on and always appreciate. Every group views films a different way and it is up to the individual to decide if this film was enjoyable or not. The article explains a very important aspect of Western films – heroes. Heroes are a huge part of the success of these films because everyone looks up to them and appreciate them in the end. The only weakness of this article is that the American Indians who were surveyed are the generations of today and they probably only have a small clue on how Indians used to be treated. Indians of today have a good amount of privileges and they do not have to fight anyone to win any respect. Therefore, although these people are probably a accurate portrayal of their ancestors, they are probably not going to take offense to anything seen because it is not how things are anymore.
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