1 Course Introduction Professor Michael Green The Hangover (2009) Directed by Todd Phillips

2 Professor Michael Green Lecturer, Film and Media Studies, Arizona State University MFA, Creative Writing, Arizona State Teaches courses in Film Studies; Screenwriting Writes scholarly Film Studies articles, screenplays

3 In This Lesson Getting to know the course Why study Race and Gender in American Film? Stereotypes: categorizing the “Other”

4 Getting to Know the Course Lesson 1: Part I The Birth of a Nation (1915) Directed by D.W. Griffith

5 What Kind of Course is This? This is not an automated course. This is not a self-paced course. This is not a Blackboard course. This course emphasizes interactivity: Synchronous (real-time) Asynchronous Participation is key to your success! Threaded Discussions on the eBoard

6 The Disadvantages Students that learn best through face-to- face debate can struggle in this environment. Students that are not well organized tend to not do well in this environment. Meet all deadlines Study in advance of assignments Keep an organized calendar with reminder alerts the professor with questions Get help when you need it.

7 How do We Define Success? Getting a high grade: A or B Becoming more knowledgeable in the subjects Becoming more skilled critical thinkers and writers Enjoying Ourselves!

8 Course Organization Each lesson contains: Screening Reading (You must buy the textbook!) Lecture Discussion Board Film Clips Website 8

9 Considering Class Content Race and Gender are controversial subjects in our society, fraught with tension and emotion. To discuss them, we must openly debate. However this does not require being disrespectful or insensitive. I expect us to challenge each other’s conceptions race and gender with rigor and respect.

10 Absolutely No Flaming or Ad Hominem Comments Flaming: –To send an angry, critical or disparaging message. Ad Hominem: –An argument made personally against an opponent instead of against their argument. Respect is key!

11 Why Study Race and Gender in American Film? Lesson 1: Part II Selena (1997) Directed by Gregory Nava

12 What is Race? Race is Not Biology and it’s Not Fiction Race is Social Identity Race is Representation and Narration Race is a Cultural Formation –The racial formation is fraught with power imbalances (hence, racism). –The racial formation is also informed by cultural and political traditions worthy of pride and respect (e.g. the Civil Rights Movement).

13 How is Race Represented in American Film? African Americans Latino/Latina Asian Americans Native Americans Anglo Americans Other “white” groups –Italians, Irish, Jews, etc.

14 Examples

15 Birth of a Legacy “The release of D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation in 1915 defined for the first time the side that Hollywood was to take in the war to represent Black people in America. In The Birth of a Nation, D. W. Griffith, later a founding member of United Artists, created and fixed an image of Blackness that was necessary for racist America's fight against Black people.” –Manthia Diawara, Black American Cinema, The New Realism

16 Birth of a Legacy (Clips) – clips/birthofanation01.movhttp:// clips/birthofanation01.mov – clips/birthofanation02.movhttp:// clips/birthofanation02.mov

17 Birth of a Legacy (Continued) “The Birth of a Nation constitutes the grammar book for Hollywood's representation of Black manhood and womanhood, its obsession with miscegenation, and its fixing of Black people within certain spaces, such as kitchens, and into certain supporting roles, such as criminals, on the screen. White people must occupy the center, leaving Black people with only one choice--to exist in relation to Whiteness.” –Diawara

18 What is Gender? Gender is Not Biology and it’s Not Fiction –Gender is Different from Male and Female Gender is Social Identity Gender is Representation and Narration Gender is a Cultural Formation –The gender formation is fraught with power imbalances (hence, racism). –The gender formation is also informed by cultural and political traditions worthy of pride and respect (e.g. the Civil Rights Movement).

19 How is Gender Represented in American Film?

20 Gone With the Wind (1939) l-clips/gonewithwind01.mov

21 The Help (2011) movie-aibileen-and-mae-mobley/ movie-i-really-need-a-maid/

22 What is Representation? Representation is the ability of texts – such as movies, books, paintings, etc. – to draw upon features of the world and present them to the viewer, not simply as reflections, but more so as constructions. Hence, the images do not portray reality in an unbiased way with 100% accuracy, but rather present ‘versions of reality’ influenced by culture and peoples habitual thoughts and actions.

23 It’s Not “Just Entertainment” The representation and narration of race and gender in Hollywood informs how we see ourselves, how we see others and how we act in the world. Because of this, we must study it as not just entertainment, but as a powerful medium with real consequences. Race and gender in Hollywood cinema is real because it affects real peoples real lives.

24 History and Ideology All movies are ideological and historical. They reflect social and cultural bias, consciously or otherwise, and they are products of the time in which they are made.

25 The Hangover: Continuing the Legacy of Birth. The story of four white men who leave the white suburbs for the “dangers” of Vegas. The dangers are represented as threatening non-white men, embodied as gross stereotypes. Women are contained to traditional roles as castrating shrews, prostitutes or young, attractive wives. Watch the clips.

26 The Hangover (Clips) R_4 movie-paging-the-doctor/

27 The Big Point Movies are made by people, who are products of their society, culture and historical time. Their specific perspective invariably informs the movies they make. The Birth of a Nation was made by a white supremacist whose views on race were powerfully disseminated by a newly evolving media technology. Entertainment media still largely propagates a racial and gender power imbalance.

28 Categorizing the Other Lesson 1: Part III Clear and Present Danger (1994) Directed by Phillip Noyce

Everybody Stereotypes In the sense that stereotyping means simply the creation of categories based on the recognition of gross differences, we all do it. This sort of stereotyping is not “wrong”, bad, or racist, but a necessary cognitive process for perceiving, processing, storing and recalling categorize information. In its neutral mode, stereotyping is useful, necessary, and efficient. 29

Negative Stereotypes For most of us, stereotyping is the act of making judgments and assigning negative qualities to other individuals or groups. “If we all create categories, then we are all, potentially at least, in a position to take the next step and imbue those categories with value-laden – that is positive or negative – connotations.” –Ramírez Berg, “Categorizing the Other: Stereotypes and Stereotyping” 30

Ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism is defined as a view of things in which one’s own group is at the center of everything. It is a bias in which other societies are evaluated or judged by standards or morals derived from the observer's culture and often found to be lacking or inferior. 31

32 The Stereotyping Formula Category making + ethnocentrism + prejudice = stereotyping. “A stereotype is the result of this process and can be defined as a negative generalization used by an in-group (US) about an out-group (Them)” –Ramírez Berg

33 11 Theses About Stereotypes 1.Stereotypes are applied with rigid logic. 2.Stereotypes may have a basis in fact. 3.Stereotypes are simplified generalizations that assume out-group homogeneity. 4.Stereotypes work at far too general a level to be worthwhile predictors. 5.Stereotypes are uncontextualized and ahistorical. 6.Repetition tends to normalize stereotypes. 7.Stereotypes are believed.

34 11 Theses (Continued) 8. Stereotyping goes both ways. 9. Stereotypes are ideological. 10.The in-group stereotypes itself. 11. The antidote to stereotyping is knowledge!

35 Stereotypes and Power Stereotypes fluctuate based on the social and power relationship between the in- group and the out-group. Depending on the power relationship between these groups, one of three stereotyping scenarios can arise, cooperative, stratified or oppositional. In its extreme form in science fiction and horror films, stereotyping transforms the Other into an actual monster.

36 Things to Remember Go through the website, or virtual classroom, with care; know it well. Keep up with all Lesson Tasks. Turn assignments in on time, written at a college level. Discuss with rigor & respect.

37 End Introduction Next Lecture: Identity and the Birth of the Cinema