Link to the movie:
https://capture.udel.edu/media/RaceA+The+Power+of+an+Illusion%2C+Ep.+1A+The+Difference+Between+us/1_de7u5ihx/180544301
Background:
In order to really learn something new, we need to know how it transforms us. College is about two things: 1) getting to learn and know new information and skills and 2) learning more about yourself by practicing something called praxis or moments of self-reflection. To take this first step we are going to reflect on our own socio-cultural practices, beliefs, identity and critically analyze the films “Race the Power of an Illusion” and Chapter 9.
Reflection
Be open to possibilities and deepen your understanding of self:
Be willing to walk away with new vocabulary, new concepts, new frameworks, and with questions.
All of this requires a deeper understanding of self because this work begins with you at the individual level.
You have to be willing to learn more about your identity and constantly interrogate your position and your role in this time. This means leaning/stepping out of your comfort zone, where things are easy. Not a lot of growth happens in our comfort zones. We have to move into a space where things are challenging and uncomfortable, where you might be learning uncomfortable truths about your institutions, family and yourself. This is where change happens.
Instructions:
Write a film critical analysis and conclude with a self-reflection (3 pages minimum, 750 words, essay format) about the film “Race-The Power of an Illusion” and its connections with the lecture and/or material we have read thus far.
Be sure to answer the following questions in your critical analysis:
Critical analysis: Several of the scholars featured in the video claim that just because race is not biological does not mean that race is not “real.” What do they mean by this, how does race impact individuals as a socio-political construct?
Utilize the concept of reification, explain how the concept of race has been reified throughout history.
You may also want to use examples from the textbook that explain how race has been socially constructed in the United States, Japan, and/or Brazil.
Hint: You may also wish to use the Film Study Guide
Reflection: Before we began the lecture, I asked you to answer the following questions, please reflect upon your answers after having completed the course material for the week.
How would you define the word race? After completing the course material for the week has your definition changed.
2.How many human races are there and what are they? Have they changed over time, or are they fixed?
3. The process of racial formation is different in every society. In the United States, the “one-drop rule” and hypodescent have historically affected the way people with multiracial backgrounds have been racialized. How have ideas about multiracial identity been changing in the past few decades? As the number of people who identify as “multiracial” increases, do you think there will be changes in the way we think about other racial categories?
