Films That Put Social Problems in Global Context
1990; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 18; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/1318496
ISSN1939-862X
Autores Tópico(s)Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy
ResumoTeachers of social problems are presently faced with considerable challenges. Even as social scientists articulate increasingly the international context of selected domestic social problems (e.g., drug use, unemployment, the arms race), high school students who soon will populate our classes have significant deficiencies in international geography, history, and politics (Washington Post 1988). Furthermore, controversial national discourse appears to have been diminished in the 1980s because of presidential and media reliance on official statements issued on behalf of a popular leader rather than on extended interest group interaction and debate; thus the uncritical literacy (Shor 1987) that students bring to the classroom is reinforced. This article suggests one strategy for addressing the challenge: using popular films to demonstrate the international nature of selected domestic social problems. The focus on films as a pedagogical tool has generated a substantial sociological literature (e.g., Burton 1988; DeFronzo 1982; Demerath 1981; Fails 1988; Hannon and Marullo 1988; Prendergast 1986; Smith 1973), to which the following remarks contribute a new application. While certain films provide a global context for understanding social problems, they also facilitate an understanding of the intersection of biography and social forces and promote a critical perspective on official policy pronouncements and taken-for-granted political language. First I discuss my general orientation in teaching social problems to provide the context in which certain films can be used to greatest advantage. Then I detail two films -El Norte and Cry Freedom-in terms of their story line, preparatory lecture materials, the sociological issues they raise, students' reactions, and practical matters of use.
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