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Purpose:  to examine the existential experience of a character presented to our culture in film/movies.  Watch a new film for this assignment.  Do not do the assignment with a film you have previously watched.  Watch the film for the first time with the intention of observing a character and seeking to understand their experiences.
ASSIGNMENT:  
Choose a movie that you are interested in watching.  Choose a character within the movie that you would like to explore for the purpose of understanding a diverse perspective.  It is best that you choose a character prior to watching the movie.  To help you do this please research and watch a trailer to your movie prior to watching the movie.
Watch the movie.  As you view it, consider how the content explored in class may influence the character in the film that you have chosen.  Consider the characters cycle of socialization, their experiences with the five faces of oppression, their experience as a target population or a dominant population, their experiences with bias, and their ability to advocate for themselves or be an ally to others.  Watching the film in this manner helps you to examine the characters perspective of themself.  Do they conduct themselves as an empowered person or do you think they are compromised in their thoughts about themselves?  If this character were to fight for a social cause how does their identity influence the sort of position you believe they would take?
Choose three main areas you wish to explore for the class presentation and identify how you have observed the content of these areas in the film and how you understand it to possibly influence the perspective of the character.  Remember, we are simply trying to understand a diverse perspective different from our own, and we are examining evidence presented to support the formulation of our understandings.
You may want to:
Take notes as you watch the film (particularly if you are watching in a private setting).
Identify three areas that you wish to explore prior to the beginning of the film.
If needed, watch the film in segments (small bits) and explore your own experiences. 
PLAN YOUR MOVIE AHEAD OF TIME.  Consider the film you will want to watch and research potential characters in the film prior to making your choice of film.
Keep distractions minimal while watching the film.  You may want to watch it alone.
Be an attentive listener/observer.  As you watch the film, look for evidence for your development of understanding the perspective of your character.  In other words, try not to draw conclusions without substantial supportive evidence.
Ask yourself questions about the character as you watch the film that may be guiding your understanding of their perspectives.  What are their experiences?  What is important to them? Where have their needs been met? How have they been treated fairly or unfairly? How do others respond to them?  What would make this character most fulfilled?
Organize your notes and prepare a presentation for the class examining the diverse perspective you understand of the character you have selected.
Be careful not to generalize.  You are exploring one individual.  Their experiences are unique and should not be generalized to everyone in that cultural group.  Your goal in this assignment is to examine a diverse perspective.  
HAVE FUN!  Explore diverse perspectives with the goal of understanding connecting to others with greater insight and skill.
DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES REPORT — AREAS WHICH NEED TO BE COVERED IN YOUR PRESENTATION
Within your report you will need to include the following content.
Identify the movie you watched and the character you explored?  What cultural background are they from?  What is their privilege/target group background?  Why did you choose this person for the assignment (what learning experience did you wish to gain from them)?  Other personal information (age, challenges in the film, how the film presented the character.  Narrative of how the character is presented in the film (hero, victim, loved, villain, etc).
Where and when did you watch the film?
Three topics chosen for the film review.
Narrative of information gathered, give a summary of topics explored, and reactions you had.  Refer to class discussions and course material as you deliver your information.
What comparisons did you make to your lived experiences in relation to the character you explored?
What did you learn/gain from the film review?  
Include your comments and personal reactions to the film review.

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