Paul B. Weinstein | Movies as the Gateway to History: The History and Film Project | Th... - 5 views
www.historycooperative.org/...weinstein.html
film social studies history teaching film in the classroom movies and history movies film and social studies movies and social studies film and history how to use film how to use movies
shared by jbdrury on 09 Oct 09
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Finally, students gain an increased appreciation of the power of mass media to shape perception and to affect interpretation of the past. This heightened awareness should enable them to be more discriminating in processing the images and information bombarding them daily.
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Finally, students gain an increased appreciation of the power of mass media to shape perception and to affect interpretation of the past. This heightened awareness should enable them to be more discriminating in processing the images and information bombarding them daily.
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Finally, students gain an increased appreciation of the power of mass media to shape perception and to affect interpretation of the past. This heightened awareness should enable them to be more discriminating in processing the images and information bombarding them daily.
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Finally, students gain an increased appreciation of the power of mass media to shape perception and to affect interpretation of the past. This heightened awareness should enable them to be more discriminating in processing the images and information bombarding them daily.
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Finally, students gain an increased appreciation of the power of mass media to shape perception and to affect interpretation of the past. This heightened awareness should enable them to be more discriminating in processing the images and information bombarding them daily.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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, a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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, a study of over one thousand Americans representing a cross-section of the population found that over forty percent of the participants cited movies and TV programs among the most cited means of connecting with the past.
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I am adding this sticky note at the top to make certain anyone looking at this post checks out "Appendix B" at the bottom of the page.
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These shortcomings, however, can actually be turned to advantages when students and instructors utilize film as a gateway to history.
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This is a rundown of the technique Weinstein uses for his undergrad students. It involves a wide variety of film choices, which may be unrealistic for a social studies class. However, the principle remains the same even if it were for just one film.
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This pamphlet, found at the bottom of the page in Appendix B, could be very useful.
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Every student receives a pamphlet I have developed, "History Written With Lightning," outlining the rationale for using commercial film as a historical tool and describing specific elements to be examined for accuracy, such as costumes, sets, chronology, and behaviors (see Appendix B).
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This is a common argument made by those advocating the use of film or TV in the classroom; however I feel it is an extremely valid point. I hope I don't offend anyone here, but FOX news is a great example of why students should be provided with critical thinking skills that are applicable to moving images.
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I must admit my jaw dropped at this comment. For those unfamiliar with Griffith or his "The Birth of a Nation", wikipedia him/it. We should all be comforted that his statement did not come true.
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This assignment I have outlined can be adapted to suit the specific goals of any instructor at college or secondary level. For example, students could be required to consult one or more primary sources as part of their research, or the instructor could assign one or more specific readings to be studied in conjunction with a film. At one time, I matched films with chapters in the course's anthology reader as the starting point for research.
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Weinstein provides a list of potential films and matches them to specific time periods, which is useful, but in my opinion a bit dated. This list could definitely be expanded upon by some more recent films.
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HISTORY WRITTEN WITH LIGHTNING
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This is the handout that he provides to his students at the beginning of the semester - I think sharing this with the social studies classroom before using films would set students up for the rest of the year to critically analyze films.
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Because we are so accustomed to the moving image, we sometimes become indifferent to the hidden messages, social content, and meaning of what we watch. In other words, we do not view from a critical perspective.
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filmmaking pioneer D. W. Griffith
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One wide-eyed reviewer consequently greeted Griffith's Civil War epic, The Birth of a Nation (1915)
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Facts can be twisted, timelines conflated, endings revised for perceived audience satisfaction.
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Griffith confidently predicted that "in less than ten years...the children in the public schools will be taught practically everything by moving pictures. Certainly they will never be obliged to read history again."
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These "what to look for" subheadings could form the basis of any number of in-class and out-of-class activities for students to engage with the film.
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What to Look for in Historical Films
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1. The History
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2. Setting, Details, and Design
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3. Behavior
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Beware of one of film's greatest—at least to the historian—sins: presentism.
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Presentism is a serious flaw in any film that seriously aspires to present a believable picture of the past.
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4. Agenda, Values, Effects
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Paul Weinstein wrote this article primarily geared towards undergraduate history professors, and how they might use film in their classroom. However, much of this is still applicable for us as secondary social studies teachers. In particular, his Appendix B has a sort of study guide he provides for each of his students at the beginning of the semester to get them thinking about how to analyze film for its historical perspective.
