Cinematic sociology : social life in film / [edited by] Jean-Anne Sutherland, Kathryn Feltey.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Sutherland, Jean-Anne, 1962-

Feltey, Kathryn, 1954-

Kenneth H. and Thelma F. Cisney Memorial Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Motion pictures--Social aspects.

Motion pictures.

Sociology.

Physical Description:

xiv, 284 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm

Place of Publication:

Los Angeles : Pine Forge Press, [2010]

Summary:

The only text of its kind to explore central topics in sociology through feature films

This one-of-a-kind text takes readers beyond watching movies; it helps them "see" films sociologically and develops critical thinking and analytical skills that will be useful in college course work and beyond. Cinematic Sociology's 15 essays from expert scholars in sociology and cultural studies explore the ways social life is presented-distorted, magnified, or politicized-in popular film. Exploring a variety of captivating classic and current films such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Devil Wears Prada, North Country, and My Fair Lady, this unique book helps students view films sociologically while also providing much-needed pedagogy for teaching sociology through film.

Key Features

Enhances students' understanding of sociological concepts. Each essay uses one or more feature films to illustrate key central topics in sociology: social class, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, work and family, global connections, and social change and the environment.

Offers a framework for teaching sociology using film. This anthology provides instructors with an innovative and engaging method for teaching sociology; students are taught to see film as a type of "text" that can be analyzed and critiqued.

Teaches students to identify sociological concepts in film. Traditional sociological concepts such as identity, interaction, inequality, and social institutions are analyzed in the context of feature films.

Offers a comprehensive film index. The lengthy film index at the back of the book provides instructors and students with a resource for selecting films for critique and analysis.

Intended Audience

Cinematic Sociology: Social Life in Film is intended as a primary text for a wide variety of courses that use feature film as the medium for studying core areas in sociology, from Introductory Sociology and Social Problems to Sociology Through Film, Popular Culture, and Culture and Society.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

American Society and Film 1

Socioiogy and Film 3

The Sociological "Toolkit" 10

In This Book 14

Chapter 2 Social Class and Inequality 19

Reading 2.1 Sitting in the Dark With Max: Classical Sociological Theory Through Film / Michael Kimmel 23

Reading 2.2 Understanding Social Mobility Through the Movies / James J. Dowd 36

Reading 2.3 Class in the Ciassroom: Hollywood's Distorted View of Inequality / Robert C. Butman 47

Chapter 3 Race and Ethnicity 65

Reading 3.1 The Spectacle of Black Violence as Cinema / Ed Guerrero 69

Reading 3.2 Don't Worry, We Are All Racists!: Crash and the Politics of Privatization / Susan Searls Giroux, Henry A. Giroux 86

Reading 3.3 Latinos/as Through the Lens / Carleen R. Basler 99

Chapter 4 Gender and Sexuality 109

Reading 4.1 Constructing Empowered Women: Cinematic Images of Power and Powerful Women / Jean-Anne Sutherland 113

Reading 4.2 The Masculinity of the Governator: Muscle and Compassion in American Politics / Michael A. Messner 128

Reading 4.3 Working the Boundaries: Bisexuaiity and Transgender on Film / Betsy Lucal, Andrea Miller 143

Chapter 5 Work and Family 157

Reading 5.1 Service, Smiles, and Selves: Film Representations of Labor and the Sociology of Work / Karla A. Erkkson 160

Reading 5.2 Reel Families: Family Life in Popular Films / Janet Cosbey 176

Chapter 6 Global Connections 189

Reading 6.1 Scripting an Enemy: Portrayals of Arab Terrorists in American Film / L Susan Williams, Travis W. Linnemann 192

Reading 6.2 Dirty Pretty Things: Migration, the State, and the Contexts of Survival in the Global City / Roberto G. Gonzales 207

Chapter 7 Social Change and the Environment 221

Reading 7.1 The Only Possible Solution? The Challenge of Nonviolence to the Hegemony of Violence in Film / Kathryn Feltey 224

Reading 7.2 From Earth to Cosmos: Environmental Sociology and Images of the Future in Science Fiction Film / Christopher W. Podeschi 237.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Kenneth H. and Thelma F. Cisney Memorial Fund.

ISBN:

9781412960465

1412960460

OCLC:

436358394

Publisher Number:

99935561301