(Name-mce) ListServ Poll: Most Important Films

[Janice Welsch]

This reply does not comply exactly to the guidelines proposed for the film 
poll but it may contain useful information to NAME members.

Greenwood Press published "Multicultural Films: A Reference Guide" by J.Q. 
Adams and me (Janice R. Welsch) in 2005 that focuses on race/ethnicity in 
documentary and feature fiction films (both mainstream and independent 
productions). A more descriptive title would be "What Movies Tell Us about 
Race/Ethnicity in the United States," but the work is part of a Greenwood 
series and conforms to their format. The book contains reviews of over 160 
films that appear in one of the following sections: African American, Arab 
American and Middle Eastern American, Asian American, European American, 
Latino/a American, Native American, and Intercultural films.  In addition to 
the individual film reviews, the book contains a section titled "Films by 
Theme,  a selected bibliography and individual introductions to the major 
sections. Many of the reviews contain comments about how the films might be 
used in classes. Comments on class and gender are also included in the 
reviews though the primary focus is race/ethnicity.

In reviewing the book, "Choice" wrote:

"Welsch and Adams accomplish what they set to do: give teachers, students, 
librarians, and other interested moviegoers a well-selected group of films 
that deal in significant ways with themes of ethnicity, race, and 
intercultural interaction in the United States. For each film, a plot 
synopsis is provided, along with comments about points in the narrative that 
raise interesting questions/issues for class discussion and general viewer 
analysis. A "Works Cited" feature at the end of each entry directs readers 
to further references....Recommended." (October 2005)

The "Reference & User Services Quarterly" noted:

"An excellent feature of most of the critiques is open-ended questions. 
These questions are designed to facilitate conversation or open lines of 
thought and will be exceptionally valuable for high school and college 
students seeking term paper topics. This book is, therefore, particularly 
appropriate for high school and academic libraries as well as public 
libraries." (Winter 2005)

As I indicated above, I hope this information is of value to NAME members.

Janice Welsch, Professor Emeritus in Film
Western Illinois University




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul C.Gorski" <gorski at edchange.org>
To: <mcp at edchange.org>
Cc: <NAME-MCE at nameorg.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 04, 2007 6:40 PM
Subject: (Name-mce) ListServ Poll: Most Important Films


> 17th Annual International NAME Conference -Baltimore, Maryland- Oct.31- 
> Nov.4,2007
>>>>>>>>>>>
> Hello all.
>
> New poll. Please send me the three (no more than three) films you believe
> are the most important films for equity, social justice, and/or
> multicultural education. Please send me the full name of the film along 
> with
> whatever other information you know about it (studio, producer, year, 
> etc.).
>
> A few things to remember:
>
> 1. Even if somebody has already listed a film on your list, include it,
> anyway. I'm trying to come up with the 15 or 20 top films based on the
> number of times they appear on people's lists.
>
> 2. Again, I encourage you to suggest films that fall toward the social
> reconstructionist end of the multicultural education continuum as opposed 
> to
> the fluffier stuff.
>
> 3. You can list any sort of film you like: documentaries, feature films.
>
> 4. You define "important." These could be films that have been influential
> for you. They could be films that have worked particularly well in classes
> you've taught or workshops you've led.
>
> To get us started, here is my list:
>
> 1. Fear and Learning at Hoover Elementary
> 2. It's Elementary
> 3. Unequal Education
>
> Again, I will compile these and make the lists available to everyone.
>
> Best,
>
> Paul
>
> ********
> Paul C. Gorski
> EdChange: http://www.EdChange.org <http://www.edchange.org/>
> Multicultural Pavilion: http://www.EdChange.org/multicultural
> Social Justice Store: http://www.cafepress.com/edchange
> Multicultural Poster Store: http://www.EdChange.org/posters
> SoJust Civil Rights History: http://www.SoJust.net 
> <http://www.sojust.net/>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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