TEACHSOC: Re: using Brokeback Mountain to teach

[Del Thomas Ph. D.]

Hi Jack, I will address the punitive part first.  By and large the post on the list have a punitive response to most problems in the classroom, tardiness, not working, etc.  In the case of this movie apparently  the following took place with regard to those who would refuse/object to viewing this film. ""Plenty of people e-mailed back privately that if they refuse the viewing/discussion have them do a long, awful research paper"  Next there is little data on what would be learned by showing the film.  The quality is not a question.  For example, the film apocalypse now was widely considered an anti war film. However  apocalypse now is used to charge college age males up for battle.  It has already been marketed as a love story with infidelity .... so in some ways damage has been done. Will students learn that homosexuality involves cheating on "good" women.  Who knows.  On the other hand the marketing and reaction to the film could be examined without showing  the film.  For example,  males who don't want to see it are quickly labeled homophobic .... should those who want to see it be considered voyeurs?  On the other hand Goodbye and Good Night which may not win Oscars because of the way it was made could be more constructive in terms of learning.  Unlike Brokeback it is not fiction and McCarthy's own words are used.  Clips as have been suggested might contain important information without risk of the doom and gloom factor.  Then I favor discovery more than teacher/preacher classrooms and would not be likely to show films in class.  Perhaps extra credit for those who want to go and write a paper. Del Jack Estes wrote: This is a topic close to my (teaching) heart. Couple things here hit me: "a message that we want to promote" and "punitive treatments for those...." Both lines seem a bit scary to me. Is it the "message" we want, or is it the opportunity to teach - to illustrate - some topic? Seems to me that almost any commercial film can be used effectively in a clasroom in sociology if we use it as a tool to look at the sociological issues involved (and not necessarily to try to advance our own pet messages). Maybe the issue will be exploitation by the producer (an external issue), or maybe it will be an examination of the internal elements - in Brokeback's case the relationships between the men, between the men and their wives, between the men and the society, between the men and their boss. So much could be studied here, I would think. In an intro class, we could look at elements of culture (norms, values, sanctions, language, etc.), at social structure, at socialiation, at deviance, at stratification, and certainly at gender issues. At least. Seems to me the film - any film, actually - is LOADED for such topics. In fact, one of the benefits of using commercial films is to challenge students to see their so-called casual interactions with popular culture as, in fact, serious ways in which they are being socialized - and exploited. It should help them to become aware of what they so often take for granted. I'm not sure what is meant by the punitive treatments. Did you mean, Del, that these are punitive treatments by the "females" you refer to? Or did you mean by the profs? Sounds like you refer to profs since you talk about classroom experiences. I don't get this at all. You mean you've heard that some profs are punishing students for not wanting to watch this film? How would they do that? Seems confusing to me. Why would they do that? Anyway, just some Saturday morning thoughts. Jack Estes BMCC/CUNY ----- Original Message ----- From: "Del Thomas Ph. D." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <teachsoc@googlegroups.com> Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2006 9:23 AM Subject: TEACHSOC: Re: using Brokeback Mountain to teach Using commercial film in class Does this film send a message that we want to promote in a sociology class room?  How do we know what is learned? What about the variation of what is learned based on gender or faith? This film has been marketed for females and their "Yes dear I'll go with you" power.  I understand that some have recommended punitive treatments for those who do not want to have this as a classroom experience. Your thoughts. Del