Film and Culture Representation : Solution Essays

The essay for this lesson is required to be 1,000-1,500-words and clearly demonstrate your understanding of the prompt. Essays should be 5 or more paragraphs with a clear introduction, thesis statement and conclusion, written in APA format (APAstyle.org).

 You may select from one of the following prompts: 

•Discuss some of the ways that Native Americans and African Americans have been depicted in Hollywood films throughout the history of cinema. How have Native American and African American filmmakers responded to these depictions and subverted them by reshaping visual narratives of cultural identity? Use specific filmic examples to support your analysis. Your answer should demonstrate a breadth of knowledge about Native and African American cinema as well as the dominant cinematic discourses on race and ethnicity that these self-representations challenge.  

 •Drawing from Reel Injun, Classified X, and Ethnic Notions, discuss 4 or more stereotypical representations of Native Americans and African Americans in Hollywood films. How are race and ethnicity represented in Hollywood films, historically and currently? Which types of characters and experiences are represented, and which types are excluded? Who constructs these representations and how do they reflect contemporary socio-political contexts? Use specific examples from each of these documentaries to support your analysis.