The Great Debaters

Select one to respond to:

1. Describe elements of the cultural context for Tolson’s leadership. Does the cultural context matter to leaders? Why? Why not?

2. What were the circumstances that caused one of Tolson’s most experienced students to quit the debate team? What was the significance when considering the larger context of the movie and for leadership.

3. Describe a time when you took action even though you knew it would be unpopular. Can you trust a leader who is primarily concerned with popularity?

4. Have you ever denied your beliefs? What did you do about it? At what cost? What did you learn that informs your leadership?

5. What is the significance of the Wiley College Debate Team’s success in the larger context of the struggle for civil rights?

Use the following for reference How To Analyze a Film As you might guess, conducting a semiotic (symbolic) analysis of a film is a somewhat more complicated venture than conducting a semiotic analysis of a print advertisement. This is not to say, of course, that movies and advertisements do not share similarities. Both, for example, are “texts” that rely on visual imagery to tell specific stories, and both are in the business of promoting specific ideologies. At the same time, print advertisements are limited by the static nature of their medium. Film, on the other hand, is not a static medium, and thus its stories are much more complex. Analyzing a film, then, as our text relates, is much more like “reading a novel. In short, analyzing a film requires you to take a careful look at the setting, plot, characters, dialogue, symbols, metaphors, archetypes, etc., as well as those factors that have an influence on the film, such as the social, historical, and political context in which the film was created. STEPS FOR CONDUCTING AN ANALYSIS OF A FILM Despite the differences between movies and advertisements, the goal of a semiotic analysis of a film is nonetheless the same as a semiotic analysis of an advertisement, namely to determine its current social significance. With than in mind, here is an expanded and modified version of the steps for conducting an analysis, tailored specifically to film: 1.) Establish the film to be analyzed 2.) Set aside your opinion; your task is to analyze the current social significance (This assignment is NOT a review of the film!!) 3.) Analysis of setting, plot, characters, symbols, etc. 4.) How does the film represents its topic 5.) Sketch the overall context (historical, cultural, and political) in which the film appears 6.) Develop a list of questions, concerns, and/or issues that will guide your analysis 7.) Develop a thesis statement Again, this is NOT the order in which everything should appear in your paper. This is merely a step by step of how to PREPARE to write a film analysis. It would also be helpful to find other important films in same genre of your chosen film and see HOW your film is different, and WHY that difference is important. ASSIGNMENT Using the steps for conducting an analysis of a film outlined above as the foundation for your argument, write a three to four page analysis of your chosen film. Preparation for this assignment requires the following: 1. Locating, renting, and watching the film 2. Going through the steps for conducting an analysis of a film as outlined above 3. Choosing a film study question to answer. After completing the steps, your paper should include the following: 1.) Your film study question 2.) A thesis statement 3.) A short but detailed description of the film 4.) An analysis of the film related to your chosen question that includes some of the details/discoveries that you made while completing the steps Modified from: B Hughes , CA State University Bakersfieldless Reference for Teamwork Rowe, W. G., & Guerrero, L. (2013). Cases in leadership (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.less