6/13: Day two: As you watch – think about the way we saw the characters/tensions in the first part of the film and what changes in this part. Watch for the use of color to intensify (the reds get redder, etc.) as the heat increases (think, too, about how the heat is making YOU feel today, and apply that – to a hot pizzeria, to city streets, to a heat wave that has lasted days). Pay attention to the tensions that escalate – economic: jobs vs unemployment, where’s the money in the neighborhood, who spends the money, etc. soclal groupings: gender, class, age, race, ethnicity, family, etc. interpersonal: individual rights vs community rights, workers and bosses, customers and owners, who I appear to be versus the fullness of my back story. After you watch, write about at least three of these ideas (including at least two of the bolded ones) on the back of the film sheet.
6/12: Do the Right Thing first writing check in (30:00 minute mark): Sketch out what you know about the world Lee is creating. Which characters interest/compel you and why? Where does your sympathy lie and why? What characters are you judging already? What judgments are you making? Why? (write for 7 minutes).
6/9: F Block: We started Do the Right Thing (see attached).
D Block: on the front of the notecard: think back over the art we saw this week and look back at the questions we were exploring (the bulleted questions on the sheet). Write about some of the art you saw (identify artists and title if you have it, describe the art) and how that art helps you to answer one of the questions. On the back of the notecard: write about your book – what’s happening, what are you thinking about, how does the book connect to what we’ve been talking about, to the larger world, etc. What do you want to bring to the discussion? Fill both sides of the card.
6/8: HOMEWORK: Here's the Hidden Brain episode (if it is slow to load, try this link, then click on the "The Thumbprint of the Culture" episode)
D and F Blocks: Why do we need “Women’s Art Movements?” Why do we need “Black Arts?”
· Key is to THINK about what we gain from a variety of perspectives
· What do a variety of artists who are women, who are people of color, bring to our understanding of what it means to be human?
· What particular assets do they bring to the artist’s role to shape, reflect, critique culture?
· What view of America, of its culture, of the Dream, etc. do they explore and why is that valuable?
Today, we are going to explore art by people of color by black artists (many as part of the Blacks arts movement). Go to the class website, go to the 1970s page and scroll down for the links for “Black Arts Movement.” Choose one to start with – you’ll find links to background on the artists and on their works. Choose an artist and click on his/her name. That will bring you to some background and links to the work (READ the background – it will help). For each artist, there’s also a video about the work.
6/7: F Block: Women's Art today.
6/6: Book discussion groups. Here's the Hidden Brain episode (if it is slow to load, try this link, then click on the "The Thumbprint of the Culture" episode) and here's Bob Dylan's lecture. Please make every effort to listen to the podcast before Monday.
6/5: D Block: We talked about and explored Women's Art (see link below).
6/2: D Block: Reading groups. See "Cont Am Culture 1st book check in" attached below.
F Block: See "Cont Am Cult Schlafly +" attached below.
6/1: D Block: We talked about the two speeches from yesterday, about the E.RA. and Phyllis Schlafly's opposition. We read together excerpts from Schlafly's address.
F Block: we talked about the two speeches from yesterday, about the 1970s and Watergate, etc. We also looked at Terrance Hayes' poem "Talk." (attached below)
In class: Start by writing for 7 minutes about the book you are reading. You can spend some time summarizing plot, but for the most part, write about what is interesting you – which characters, what conflicts, what relationships, etc. What is surprising to you and why? What do you want to make sure that you talk about in groups? What is confusing? What connections are you making to class, to your own lives, etc.?
5/31: D and F Blocks: Please read both Bella Abzug’s “A New Kind of Southern Strategy” and Gloria Steinem’s testimony in front of Congress. As you read, THINK about what you saw in the clip from The Makers yesterday, about the struggles and the goals of the women’s movement as it moves into the 1970s. THINK, too, about what we’ve talked about in terms of the importance of models. On the front of the notecard: make connections between what Abzug and Steinem are calling for and the movement as presented in the film. What are the main points of protest, where do both women use models, what unites them and what, if anything, divides them? On the back of the notecard: write down 5 quotes form the two pieces (at least 2 from each) that you particularly like/are interested in/ want to talk about, etc. Identify the writer and the page number.
5/30: F Block: We watched a clip (start at 41:00 - 55:00) from The Makers about the divisions in the feminist movement and about Gloria Steinem's leadership. We also set a reading schedule for Thursday.
D Block: We watched a clip (start at 19:54 - 34:00) from The Makers about the legal issues that limited women's full equality in the 1970s and the run up to the E.R.A.