Assignment 1: Race and Ethnicity Movie Analysis
Objective
To integrate your understanding of Module 8 lecture content into an analysis of a documentary movie.
Points Possible: 30 points
Overview
For this assignment you will choose to view one of two documentaries. It is up to you which you choose, and you will only be required to view one of them. After reading/viewing all of the lectures from the race and ethnicity section of this module you will evaluate one of the two movies below using that information. Your analysis should be at least 3 pages (1,000 words) in length.
Movie option 1: A World of Ideas: Maya Lin
The first documentary is about Maya Lin, the designer of the Vietnam War Memorial. In this movie she discusses her experience as an Asian American artist, her childhood as the daughter of immigrants, the racism she experienced when the media found out that an Asian American had designed the Vietnam War Memorial, and her own views on how race and ethnicity fit into the American identity. Lin talks about these issues mainly from her own personal perspective. One of the links below should work for you to view the movie.
Link to view the video by logging in through the LPC Library. If you use this link you will need to log in as prompted, then search for “Maya Lin World of Ideas” in the search box.. The first film that comes up will be “World of Ideas: Maya Lin.” That is the film you need to watch.
Transcript to the Maya Lin movie. Here is a link to the complete transcript of the movie. Not very exciting, but if you can’t access the move it will do in a pinch. It is several pages long, so be sure to scroll through the complete program: http://www.pbs.org/becomingamerican/ap_pjourneys_transcript5_print.html
Movie option 2: A Victim of Two Cultures: Richard Rodriguez
In this movie author and American culture analyst Richard Rodriguez talks about his own experience growing up in America with a Mexican-American background. He discusses the plight of Latinos and minorities in general in the American experience, how his religion connects him to his heritage, how he forms his own identity by integrating parts of the Mexican and parts of the American identity, and why he has chosen to embrace American culture and the American dream. His analysis is mostly from his own perspective, but he sometimes (a bit uncomfortably for my tastes) generalizes about his culture and the experience of other minority groups.
Link to view the video by logging in through the LPC Library. If you use this link you will need to log in as prompted, then search for “Richard cultures” in the search box at the top. You’ll want to view the video: “Richard Rodriguez: A Victim of Two Cultures: Richard Rodriguez.” That is the film you need to watch.
Steps for completing the assignment:
Make sure you have read or viewed each of the lectures in the race and ethnicity section. It is a good idea to take notes because they will be useful for you as you compose your essay for this assignment.
If you haven’t done so already, choose which film you would like to view, the one on Richard Rodriguez or the one on Maya Lin. As you watch the movie, take notes on your observations as to how the ideas in the film relate to the ideas from the lectures in this module.
Now you are ready to compose your essay linking the ideas presented in the film to the ideas in the lectures. Your essay should have these sections:
Section 1: Introduction. Start your essay with a short discussion about your reaction to the ideas of Maya Lin or Richard Rodriguez. What were your impressions and overall reactions?
Section 2: Agreements and Objections. In this sections discuss the thoughts presented by Lin or Rodriguez that you appreciated the most and also the ideas that you agreed with the least. Be sure to go beyond just mentioning what those ideas were; you should also give an explanation for why you agreed or disagreed.
Section 3: The American Farmer. In this section discuss a few of the ideas of the American Farmer, and say how you think that these ideas relate to Maya Lin or Richard Rodriguez. Here you might point out places where the American Farmer and Lin or Rodriguez are in agreement or disagreement. Or you might think of it in terms of how the American Farmer might react to the ideas of Lin or Rodriguez, or conversely how you think Rodriguez or Lin might react to the ideas presented in the American Farmer. Be sure to get very specific here and reference ideas found in the readings and the movies.
Section 4: The American Dreamer. Compare and contrast Mukherjee’s essay “The American Dreamer” with the ideas of Lin or Rodriguez. Follow the same basic pattern that you used in Section 3.
Section 5: Martin Luther King Jr. and Civil Rights. Apply the ideas presented in the lecture on King and the Civil Rights Movement to the ideas of Lin or Rodriguez. You might ask yourself questions such as:
How might Lin or Rodriquez actions and attitudes fit into the events on the civil rights timeline?
Looking back at the ideas in King’s speech, how do you think he would react to the ideas presented by Lin or Rodriguez in the movie?
Or, conversely, how do you think Rodriguez or Lin would respond to the ideas of King? (If you watched the move on Lin, hopefully you noticed that she quoted King directly!)
Special Tip for the essay: An ideal paper will have about equal representation for sections 2 through 5. In other words, in a perfect paper you would be able to go into about the same depth of analysis for each of the 4 main sections of the paper. Some of them will be harder than others, but I look forward to seeing your creativity and thoughtful insights! Please separate each section of your paper with a section title (for example, “Section 2: Agreements and Objections) to ensure the organization and clarity of your paper.
