Week 5: Stigmatization, Politics of Achievement

Stacey Lee’s (2002) Unraveling the “Model Minority” Stereotype

• How does the model minority stereotype affect students’ identity development?

• In what ways do other stereotypes affect identity development in general?

• What are the implications in choosing to identify as American (e.g. Asian vs. Asian American, Mexican vs. Mexican-American)?

• How do students navigate gender and class norms in ethnic identity development?

For a live performance on the topic, check out this video link!

Also, if you’re interested, check out a related clip from Jane Elliott’s Iowa School Children Experiment.

- by Takeo/Diana/Michael T.

Week 4: Racial Inequality, Culture and Structure of Opportunity

Pedro Noguera’s (2003) City Schools and the American Dream

On page 52, Noguera discusses the Ogbu/Fordham study about race and education and their conclusions about “oppositional identities” and the perception of educational institutions as locations of forced assimilation. In what ways can schools force assimilation onto students? In what ways do students react to this process of assimilation?

Noguera suggests that schools can counteract oppositional attitudes and underachievement through multicultural education. What are some advantages of promoting cultural diversity in education? Is there a danger of putting minority students at a disadvantage by underexposing them to “mainstream culture” that they may have to deal with in college? Is there a happy medium?

- by Jessica/Jessie/Dan/Jarreau

Week 3: Individualism, Social Contexts of Schooling

Robert Bulman’s (2005) Hollywood Goes to High School

What is Bulman’s problem with the “autonomous utilitarian individual” as a mark of success in films? Why is it a problem to him? Do you think this is a problem?

What do you think about Bulman’s response to the concept of inner city poor minority students having a “choice” in their schooling?

What do you think filmmakers are trying to portray through their depictions of urban high schools: a sense of whiteness (like Giroux talks about) or a standard of middle class values (like Bulman promotes in his book)?

Let’s start by answering the first question and then we can move into the next two as the conversation goes along.

- by Stany/Ryann/Alana

Race & Cartoons

Do you remember which programs or series you used to watch?

Week 2: Reading the Media, Critique and Analysis

Douglas Kellner is one of the leading scholars of media culture and pedagogy. In “Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture,” Kellner (2003) discusses the contributions of a cultural studies approach to media critique. What are these contributions? Why are they valuable to our study of youth, schools, and race in film?

Later in the chapter, Kellner argues for an approach that is critical and multiperspectival. What does this mean? How does one achieve or move toward that? Why is it of importance?

[note: let’s begin the conversation with the first set of questions...]

Welcome!

Youth, Schools, and Race in Film

What we see and what we don’t see on screen – and why. Let’s begin the conversation.