Blog #4 (#3)

Still, Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett, 1977)

Please address the following questions from the Takaki and Benshoff and Griffin readings:

What economic, political and social circumstances led to the "Great Migration" of African-Americans to U.S. northern urban centers in the early 20th century?

What impact did the Production Code of 1934 have on the use of African-American stereotypes and actors in Hollywood films?

What were the economic and social challenges faced by African-American independent filmmakers emerging in the 1970s and 1980s? How is Spike Lee's career an example of the negotiation of critical and socially relevant filmmaking and the Hollywood industry?

Blog #3 (Listed as Blog #2)

Carleton Watkins, The Yosemite Valley from the Best General View, 1866

Briefly answer the following questions based on the readings for this week:

According to Benshoff and Griffin, what is othering? How does it work? How has Hollywood typically used racial and ethnic characters? Briefly discuss the changes in representations of Irish American characters in US cinema. What were the factors behind these changes?

How was blackface used by Jewish entertainers? How did these performances complicate notions of racial and ethnic identity?

According to Richard Dyer, why is it important to study race and images of race? How are white typically seen or spoken about? What are the problems associated with examining whiteness? What are the paradoxes of whiteness?

Blog #2 (Listed as Blog #1 post due Thursday, Feb. 12)

Ken Gonzales-Day, St. James Park, 2006

From the "Erased Lynching" Series

From this week's reading (Leigh Raiford, "The Consumption of Lynching Images" and Sturken and Cartwright, "Viewers Make Meaning"), concisely address the following questions:

What role did lynching photographs play in the white community? How can lynching be seen as uniquely shaped by modernity (by social/technical/cultural forces unique to the time period, late 19th to early 20th centuries)? What was photography's role in defining the black body in an emergent consumer culture? How has the black community used lynching photographs (appropriated or created oppositional readings)?

PLEASE NOTE: The last two pages of the Raiford essay (pgs. 272 and 273) are posted on the course D2L site (click here to access).

Shepard Fairey update

Here's a link to an article regarding the graphic/graffiti artist Shepard Fairey (the artist who designed the Obama "HOPE" poster that we looked at the first week). Fairey was recently arrested in Boston on suspicion for damage to public property, but also some interesting notes on his poster, which continues to circulate, taking on a life of its own beyond its original intent....

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/18662913/detail.html

Blog #1

For your first blog response, briefly describe at least two facts you've learned about Johnsons Park Neighborhood Association through the article packet handed out last week in class, viewing the JPNA site or your own research. Your post should be at least 150 words.

Write your response in the comment section below. Don't forget to include your name in your post.

Also, take a look at the NY Times article I've posted...

"Talk About Race? Relax, It's OK" (NYT Jan 15 2009)

How has Barack Obama's election changed the conversation about race relations in the U.S.? Read this NY Times article and check out the reader comments.

Note: This is not an assignment. The blog response will be posted on Monday, Feb. 2




http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/fashion/15race.html?_r=1

Welcome to Film 150: Multicultural America!

Welcome to Film 150: Multicultural America! This semester, our course Service Learning component will be conducted at Johnsons' Park Neighborhood Association (JPNA), a neighborhood preservation and improvement organization located in the Lindsay Heights Development District. Here's a Google map image of their service area:

Service Area: 16th to 20th Streets, Walnut Street to Fond du Lac Avenue

Since its establishment, the JPNA has worked with the City of Milwaukee and other community partners to build new homes and renovate existing properties in its service area, promote business development, and improve the overall quality of life for residents through economic, health, environmental and cultural initiatives. As stated on their website:

"Since 2003 over 60 new homes have been built in an area that consisted of older homes interspersed with formerly vacant, littered lots and boarded-up buildings. The residents organized and established a collective vision for the area. We believe in creating and promoting a safe and friendly neighborhood. We will be proative in improving the quality of life for all residents."

Along with its home development and improvement projects, the JPNA has established initiatives and collaborative projects, including:

• The Johnsons' Park Health Alliance (see Winter 2008 newsletter)
• Center for Resilient Cities
• Friends of the Park System
• Department of Neighborhood Services
  
• Walnut Way Conservation Corp.

Through the Greater Johnsons' Park initiative, plans have been developed to create urban green spaces (Alice's Garden), community youth programs (Brown Street Academy), and for Johnsons' Park to become part of the Underground Railroad of Wisconsin Network to Freedom.


Throughout the semester, we will create a media archive of Johnsons' Park Neighborhood Association. Check out previous Film 150 sites to get an idea of the types of projects you can undertake during the semester (see "Links" on sidebar). Also, take a look at JPNA's website.