Film
Reaction Paper:
Using the
Sociological Imagination
C. Wright Mills (1916-1962) argued that the best way to understand an individual’s experience was to consider the effects of social institutions and one’s place in history on their lives. He called this process of connecting personal troubles with larger, public issues the “Sociological Imagination.”
For the Film Reaction paper, choose at least one of the films we will watch during the semester and use the Sociological Imagination to get a better understanding of the people’s lives and the particular events happening in the film. In other words, consider environmental influences, such as specific aspects of culture, society, and the historical time period to explain the main conflict and issues in the film.
For example, the film If These Walls Could Talk 2: 1961 depicts conflict over how family is defined. For this paper, you could discuss how cultural values, beliefs, and the time period affected the various characters' understanding of family. For the film Take it From Me, you could discuss how the social class of one's family affects a person's opportunities and life experiences.
Instructions:
The paper should a) summarize (briefly) the main events and conflict depicted in the film; b) summarize, in your words, what is meant by using a "sociological imagination" (using outside sources is okay); and c) apply a sociological imagination to explain the main issues (as you described in your summary) in the film. This is just a general idea of how the paper should be set up. Be sure to read the rubric (linked below) to see exactly how the paper will be graded.
For further assistance, please see below for definitions and explanations, and the Class Schedule in the syllabus for the due date.
Click
here for the rubric I will use to grade your Film Reaction Paper
Social institution: an established and organized system of social behavior with a recognized purpose. Examples: family, education, religion, economy, law, criminal justice system, media, and medicine.
Dominant cultural values: the system and meanings associated with the most powerful group in society. Examples: American dream, thinness ideal, sexual double standard, compulsory heterosexuality.
Culture: The knowledge, language, values, customs, and material objects that are passed from person to person and from one generation to the next in a human group or society. We are initially exposed to our culture through family upbringing. Sociologists believe that the type of culture one is exposed to depends on the social class of their families—i.e., our family’s income and wealth (see “high culture” versus “popular culture”, for example).
Society: A large social grouping that shares the same geographical territory and is subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. This idea is connected to culture: The emphasis for ‘culture’ is on the shared products of human groups; for ‘society’, the emphasis is on the geographic territory.
Historical time-period: For the paper, consider how the situation may have been different 50 or 100 years ago, for example – or how it may be different in the future. This idea is connected to culture – ie, how culture (knowledge, values, and customs, for instance) changes through time.