This paper is based on The Rosa Party Story Flim/Movie
American History Film Research Project for History 232-02
The goal of this American History Film Research Project is to stimulate you to think critically about how movies inform our view of history.
It is a simple-minded belief that students learn everything they need to know about history in a classroom, from the boring facts that spill forward across the pages of mind-numbing textbooks.
We live in a visual age, and as a historian whether I like it or not – students learn a lot of history from films. Films are infinitely more interesting that the thick textbook that students buy each semester. Truth be told everybody watches films, everybody! As a historian I believe that it is imperative that we ask crucial questions about these “historical films,” questions such as who are the historians creating these films? Whose histories are they telling? Are there histories they are not telling? Are we as a society shaped by historical films, if so how?
For this project you will chose a film from the list of films about American History. The film you choose must have a specific historical trail that you can study, assemble, investigate, and immerse yourself in just as the people making a historical will do. There must be a trail that you can follow, so this means that not every film will work. There must be sources that you can document. The film must deal with American history, not simply a person or event so chose a film that you believe should be a part of our national or cultural memory, something that should be studied in school. Below you will find a series of questions that can be used as prompts to start you on the path of gathering information. There are general questions about history and specific film and historical questions.
General Questions: How do you define history? What is the role of history in culture? Do Americans need to know their history? Why is history a required subject in school? Is history to create national pride and individual identity? Or should history just be about the facts? Is history political? What is cultural memory, popular memory, and collective memory?
Specific Questions: How do you define cinematic history? Why do film-makers make historical film, what is their agenda? What do films about history tell us about the past? What questions or answers did the film-maker bring to the film-making? What questions or answers does an audience take away from such films? What is the relation between “fact” and “fiction” in such films? How do such films deal with “evidence” when it is there? What if there is little or no evidence? Do films qualify to be called “history”? Can film-makers be called “historians”?
Does creativity destroy authenticity? What do professional historians think of historical films? Why do some historical films troublesome professional historians? Why are professional historians not more involved in making historical films? Why should people interested in American history see historical films? What can we learn about history or the making of history through film? To what extent do such films present history with “integrity”? When is a film-maker “responsible” when dealing with historical subjects? When is a film maker irresponsible?
Project Instructions and guidelines: Synopsis (One full page): is a condensed, focused summary: Give the main facts. Outline the main plot. Most importantly, make sure the specific “historical” element is clearly visible.
Historical Context (minimum of two pages of historical context): write an essay on the historical subject of the film and provide an annotated list of five print, five video, and five online resources on the historical subject.
Issue Essay (minimum of two pages): write an essay on an issue in history that the film raises.
Images/digital presentation: provide a minimum of six images that are related to the film or the historical subject.
Produce a digital presentation that explains how and why these images relate to the film or historical subject – do not use images from the film
Works Cited: provide a works cited page
Do answers all those questions one by one those are just a guideline to help you.
Please follow these instructions in the correct way!