Students will submit a ten-page paper (@ 2500 words)at semester's end based upon primary research. Throughout American history, African Americans struggled to fully control their image - especially within the mainstream - and their identity was informed byhow they were seen by others. Despite their progress in the 20th century, African Americans were still dependent upon white mainstream sources to define African American identity, unlike other immigrant groups who could more easily establish their identity through an established sovereign outside America (e.g., Italian Americans via Italy, Mexican Americans via Mexico, etc.). We shall use Hollywood as an informal litmus test to explore the question of how African Americans were seen by "their own" mainstream culture. Find a "normal" American mainstream movie (released by a major studio) made between 1915 and 2015 that you believe showcases black people. PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM BIO-PICS (e.g., "12 Years a Slave," "The Help," "The Butler," "The Color Purple," etc. Pick a "normal" movie (e.g., "Deadpool," "Iron Man," "The Hunger Games," etc.). Watch the movie and using the following rubric:
CONTEXT
• Is the movie truly a mainstream movie? Or is the movie a "black movie?" How much does race factor into the story development? How much inter-racial mixing occurs? Does this reflect reality or an ideal?
HEROISM
• In which ways does the black hero demonstrate or evidence their heroism? Does this differ in any material way from other white mainstream heroes typical of the same genre and era?
ANALYSIS
• What does this movie suggest about the status of blacks and their overall status in American society? Does the movie acknowledge any "gaps" between theory and practice of equal treatment for African Americans as Americans? If so, how? If not, why do you think this is?
RESEARCH
• What debates surround the movie and its impact within the African American community? How do African Americans respond to these constructed images that they must "share" equally with other white Americans? Do these responses differ from status quo mainstream reactions?