Part 1:

Family Troubles in Film

BACKGROUND

Family relations have long been the basis of good comic, tragic, and dramatic films. This assignment asks you to examine family dynamics and, more specifically, family troubles, as depicted in a feature film. The following films depict a variety of family trouble: marital issues, divorce, domestic abuse, parental neglect, disabilities and illnesses, sex and dating, pregnancy, death delinquency, financial difficulties. Other movies cold certainly be added to this list - let me know if there is another movie you would like to choose. Be aware of ratings and watch only those movies that you are comfortable viewing:

Affliction                          American Beauty                    Amreeka                                August: Osage County       
Boyhood                        The Descendants                     The Ice Storm                         In America
In the Bedroom               The Joy Luck Club                  The Kids Are All Right          Kramer vs. Kramer
MiFamilia (My Family)        Ordinary People                     Precious                                 My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Rachel Getting Married     The Royal Tenenbaums             Saving Face                           The Squid and the Whale
Stepmom                          Still Alice                              Terms of Endearment           We Don't Live Here Anymore
You Can Count On Me     What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Choose a movie that is primarily about contemporary family relations and problems, then read the prompts below and keep them in mind while viewing. Watch the film closely and pay attention to the plotlines, scenes, characters, and dialogues in which family troubles are depicted. Take notes as you watch the move, you may need to review certain segments several times to do a thorough content analysis. As part of the process, you will also be doing an Internet search to gather more data about the family problems and their incidence in contemporary society. Be sure to note the source of your web reference.

ASSIGNMENT:

• Give some background information on the film such as genre (comedy, drama), year released, rating, etc. Why did you choose this film?

• Describe the family troubles that are the focus of the film. How are these problems manifested in the lives of the family members?

• How do the various characters deal with their problems? What solutions do they propose through their talk or action? How effective are these solutions in addressing the family's troubles?

• Put the family's problems in a broader sociological context. In what ways are the individual troubles of family members linked to larger social patterns of problems?

• Gather some recent data from U.S. Census Bureau, other government or private agencies, or various news sources. How widespread are these problems in the real world? How are they being discussed and dealt with at a public level?

• How accurately do you think the family's troubles, and their possible solutions, were depicted in the film? What kind of a role, if any, do you think the media can play in helping to improve family troubles and associated social problems?

PAPER: Complete the research activities described above. Write a 3-4 page essay about the film's relevance. What do you think your observations tell us about contemporary American families and the ways in which family troubles are portrayed in film?

Part 2

Are Your Clothes part of the Global Commodity Chain?

BACKGROUND

You probably own and consume a large number of products that originated in faraway countries, including your car, clothing or shores. These items have traveled widely during the process from production to consumption. Food, pharmaceuticals, and electronics are other examples of globally made products. Social scientists class such international movements of goods "global commodity chains."

Global commodity chains are networks of corporations, product designers and engineers, manufacturing firms, distribution channels (such as ocean freightliners, railroads, and trucking firms), and consumer outlets (such as Walmart). Global commodity chains start with a product design and brand name and end with the consumer making a purchase. But between start and finish is often a complex global process involving many different people, in many different nations, all contributing to the final product.

The manufacturing of goods, from garments to electronics to automobiles, used to happen primarily in the United States and other Western nations; today's manufacturing centers are located primarily in poorer nations, such as the Philippines, China, Indonesia, and many Latin American countries. American corporations such as Nike, the Gap, and Levi-Strauss have closed all their U.S. manufacturing plants and hired contractors and subcontractors from East Asia and Latin America to make their products at substantially lower prices. Now these companies focus large amounts of financial resources on "branding" their products. Branding is the process, usually accomplished through advertising, by which companies gain consumers' attention and loyalty. Much of the money you pay for some products goes toward financing these branding campaigns, while a much smaller sum pays the workers who actually make the products.

ASSIGNMENT: There are three separate parts to this assignment.

Part 1.The Global Closet - Pick out 5-10 items of clothing from your closet. Check the labels. Where were your clothes made? Make a list of the nations represented in your closet. How many nations are in East Asia or Latin America or other parts of the globe? Is there a difference between whether an item is made and where it is assembled? Does the label indicate where the fabric originated?

Part 2.Once "Made in the U.S.A" - Ask your parents, grandparents or other older family members if you can look at the labels of their older clothes. Or go to a thrift store and look for older or vintage clothes there. Again pick out 5-10 items of clothing. How many of those items were made in the United States? How many were made elsewhere? What does this tell you about the globalization of the garment industry over the past several decades?

Part 3.Are Your Favorite Brands "Sweat Free"? - Choose one or more of your favorite brands of clothing, shoes, or other fashion accessories.

What is your brand's stand on sweatshop labor? Do workers who make our favorite products earn a living wage? You can check many corporations' ethics regarding labor conditions by doing simple search on the Internet. Or visit the website of one of the following pro-labor organization to se how your brands score:

• Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights: www.globallabourrights.org
• CorpWatch: www.corpwathch.org
• Global Exchange: www.globalexchange.org

PAPER: Complete the three parts of this assignment listed above. Write a 3-4 page essay outlining and analyzing your findings.