Representation in Film (Kist)

I found this chapter to be highly important. Having students do a critical analysis of how, say, African Americans, Latinos, Asians, and other minorities are represented in film would be interesting. Costanzo mentions that "Behind the history are questions: questions of identification and identity, representation and appropriation, politics and power," (Costanzo 95). A crucial part of learning multi-modal literacy is for students to filter what they see through an educational lens. Students often see through their narrow ego-influenced lens and don't explore other's perspective without the outside influence from teachers and/or other adults. Using film to have students examine others perspective is exciting and can change how students view film. Film can help students understand sexism and racism in a concrete way. It can spark class discussions and research papers. Students can explore their own identity on a deeper level and discover how that identity has been shaped by the many texts that they have interacted with in their lifetime. They may also learn more about how other identities are shaped through different texts. When I was in high school I didn't study other cultural groups enough and I think that today's students are thirsty for this type of learning/research. I would love to include film into my future classroom.