Engaging Communities 2012: Reel Diversity

Find out how movies such as The X-Men, or Transformers can be used in the classroom to enhance discussion about diversity.

From the back cover the book Reel Diversity: A Teachers Sourcebook:
"...a resource manual for teachers who want to infuse the concepts of diversity and social justice into their secondary and college courses. Lecturers and workshop presenters will also appreciate this text for its practical uses. The authors present proven guidelines for teaching diversity using a framework that deconstructs national opinion and culture from both majority and minority perspectives. Emphasizing the development of a shared language among teachers and learners, the text provides a list of important definitions about difference and power. It discusses the role of the teacher in minimizing cultural dominance, prejudice, and discrimination in society. The text includes an extensive section on designing a diversity education course, and teachers will benefit from the suggested instructional activities, readings, assignments, and advice on creating a classroom atmosphere for these issues."

More than just another book on film literacy and criticism, this manual stands out from the competition for its practical, user-friendly mini-lessons using film clips from mainstream Hollywood feature films to illustrate the 25 diversity definitions provided in the text, and develops a list of questions following each clip that can be used to encourage cross-cultural dialogue."

Each sample lesson contains the elapsed time cues for finding specific scenes, topic headers (such as Anti-Semitism, classism, racism), and related questions. The Ithaca College Library has a number of the movies mentioned in the book. See our list of Related Films  
Jot down the call numbers of the dvds, and borrow them from Multi Media Services on the 3rd floor of the library.

Interested in research regarding how different ethnicities are depicted in the movies?  Our library has a number of books and dvds about this topic. 

• African Americans in motion pictures  (see also articles )
• African Americans -- social conditions
• Arabs in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Arab Americans -- social conditions
• Asian Americans in motion pictures (see also articles  )
• Asian Americans multicultural education
• Asians in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Hispanic Americans in motion pictures  (see also articles)
• Indians in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Italian Americans in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Jews in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Mexican Americans in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Minorities in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Race in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Race relations in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Stereotypes in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Whites in motion pictures (see also articles)

For information about social issues as they are portrayed in films, try some of these books:

• Aging in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Body Image in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Children in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Death in motion  pictures (see also articles)
• Ecology in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Motion pictures -- social aspects (see also articles)
• Nationalism in motion pictures (see also articles)
• People with disabilities in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Politics in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Social problems in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Teenagers in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Violence in motion pictures (see also articles)

For material about gender or sexuality issues as they are portrayed in films, try these subject headings:

• Femmes fatales in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Heterosexual men in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Homosexuality in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Masculinity in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Sex in motion pictures (see also articles)
• Women in motion pictures (see also articles)

Brian C. Johnson spoke Tuesday, February 7, 2012, in Emerson Suites, Campus Center.  Please contact Osupa T. Davis in the Office of Human Resources at otdavis@ithaca.edu or 607-274-8000 for more information about his presentation.
See his bio at http://www.ithaca.edu/hr/emprel/engagingcommunities/

Reel Diversity: A Teacher's Sourcebook
By Brian C. Johnson and Skyra C. Blanchard


We've Scene It All Before
A copy of this book will be ordered shortly for the library.

Our library has a number of feature films which contain representations of race and ethnicity.  Here is a brief list:
African Americans: Portrayals
Asians: Portrayals
Chicanos & Latinos: Portrayals
Italians: Portrayals
Irish: Portrayals
Jews: Portrayals
Native Americans: Portrayals