Throughout the course you have been viewing episodes from a variety of documentaries that present the history of diverse groups for information about their experiences and history, but you have also been assessing each film in your video journals for how they reflect the ways that each minority group faced challenges to their identity, and the strategies they used to protect their identity and use institutions to work towards equal rights in American society. Now that we have reached the end of the semester and you have watched all the assigned episodes, you will think and reflect on the entirety of the films, intended for a popular audience, and critique how they present the history of identities and institutions in the American past.
In a short reflective essay (1-2 pages) consider the strengths and weaknesses of the documentaries we have viewed. What view of United States history is presented by adding these diverse perspectives? Were these films able to balance showing the challenges faced by diverse groups in American history as well as the strategies they used to affirm their identity, ie how should documentaries balance stories of discrimination versus stories of agency?
Related Vidoes
- making a way out of no way (1897-1940)
- Not done women remaking America
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/makers/not-done?guccounter=1 (Links to an external site.)
- Becoming American- The Chinese experience : No turning back
https://vimeo.com/channels/64398/33623391 (Links to an external site.)
- Rise 1940-1986
