Choose one of the films below as your subject for a reflection paper addressing cultural representation as presented in a movie and discussing communication barriers that arise due to cultural differences between key characters.
Alien
Gran Torino
Remember the Titans
A Silent Voice
Hidden Figures
Slumdog Millionaire
Avatar
Hotel Rwanda
Snowpiercer
Belle
In the Heights
Spanglish
Beast of the Southern Wild
Joy Luck Club
Star Trek Into Darkness
Bend it Like Beckham
Million Dollar Arm
The Help
Birdcage
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Under the Tuscan Sun
Coco
Parasite
Witness
Crash
Pretty Woman
Wonder Woman
Crazy Rich Asians
Pride and Prejudice
You will write a reflection paper on one of the above listed movies and you must include the following background and synopsis:
· Give an introductory synopsis, genre and the underlying theme of the film.
· Next, you will evaluate the strengths and limitations of the communicative choices made by at least three characters based on their culture. For example, in some cultures it is not appropriate to question authority, so how would this influence the way a child may speak to a parent or student may speak to an instructor? Explain with examples. Do you see signs of ethnocentrism? Is there a character who experiences culture shock or has a difficult time becoming acculturated to a new culture? Do we see examples of collectivism versus individualism, high context versus low context, or masculine versus feminine? Be sure to include specific examples from the film to support your observations. Apply what you have learned in class and in the text on culture in your analysis.
· What type of communication barriers existed between the characters in the movie due to cultural differences? List at least three examples. For example, what difficulties might arise when someone from an individualistic culture communicates with someone from a collectivist culture?
· What advice would you give these characters to improve their communication/interactions?
You will also reflect on the following:
· Did you enjoy the movie? Why or why not? Give solid opinions for the reasons.
· Identify at least three differences/similarities between your culture and the culture(s) portrayed in the movie.
· Explain what you most/least appreciated in the movie.
· Explain one or more things that you have learned that you want to share with others.
A detailed rubric describing how the reflection paper will be graded is provided in the link below. Your paper should be 4 to 5 pages (1400 – 1750 words) in MLA format.
If you would prefer to write a reflection paper on a movie that is not listed above, please send an email with your request as you will need prior approval.
To submit this assignment, upload your Word document in the box below.