For this project, you will watch 4 fiction films of your choice. They can be any genre, as long as they are fiction (historical fiction is fine, no documentaries though). The films must come from the following categories:
Made in 1950s or 60s
Made in 1970s or 80s
Made in 1990s or 2000s
Made in 2010s or beyond
While watching each film, take note of the ways in which motherhood/fatherhood/parenting are portrayed in each. Consider how they are changing in each film and what that means. How do these observations relate to the topics we have discussed in the course? Can you find any connections to what you read in Doing the Best I Can? If so, explain. How have the changes you have documented represent the changes we have seen in our culture and around our understanding of what a family is? Who is being left out? Who is missing from these representations? What is the impact of these media portrayals? You analysis should briefly (in a few sentences) describe the films you chose and then focus the rest of the paper on describing the families and presenting the impacts of these media portrayals, referencing your texts. You should not use any outside sources, including film analysis articles or summaries about the films. These summaries and analyses should be your own! Watch the films and take notes. As you watch, make note of any connections to the texts. You should quote your texts (DBIC, textbook, or online materials) at least 4 times in the paper. All quotes need a page number and author (i.e., for your textbook, you would add Cohen, p.23 for your reader Edin & Nelson, p.22 and articles from the course would be author, p.xx)