Building off the previous units, especially the core concepts of visual culture, this unit examines the way images reflect, construct, and change our concept of race. If there is the myth of photographic truth, what does that mean as we deconstruct images that represent African Americans and Asian Americans? If our ideologies inform the way we see images, then can images ever affect social change? Can we ever move beyond what our own ideologies see? What is the tension between the ability of an image to liberate us from one way of seeing and/or limiting our seeing?
Essential Questions
- How do images reflect, construct, and change our concept of race?
- How do images simultaneously liberate and limit?
- Can the circulation and distribution of images bring about social change?
- Do our ideologies promote, prevent and/or limit the ways of looking at an image in a variety of ways?
- If there is the myth of photographic truth, what does that mean as we deconstruct images of race?
- How can we promote civil and democratic discourse about sensitive and controversial topics?
Final Assignment
Create an assemblage/multi-modal piece of writing that makes an arguable claim about one or more of the essential questions by assembling a combination of visual and textual evidence to explore and support claim. You will draw on the resources (films, texts, images) used in this unit in addition to your own independent research. In this piece of composition, you will demonstrate an understanding of how the history of visual representation impacts our contemporary cultural ideas about race and individual ideologies.
Other Assignments
- Writer’s reflections
- Viewer’s notebook responses
- Current image-related topic assignment
- Presentation on 13th or I Am Not Your Negro
- Film review for Do the Right Thing: 29 Years On
Tues 1/2
Newsworthy topic for tomorrow’s class
Unit overview and reflecting on our essential questions
Begin presentation on history of photography and race
Wed 1/3
What was Douglass’s project with photography?
- Visual culture of the time period
- Reading images
- Who created this image?
- What techniques are used to attract my attention?
- How might different people see this image differently from me?
- What lifestyles, values and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?
- Why was this message sent?
HW: Gates “Frederick Douglass’s Camera Obscura” and Wexler “A More Perfect Likeness”
Mon 1/8
What are the labels that society places on you?
- How does our visual culture represent those labels?
- How do those images limit us?
- How might images liberate us from those labels?
Unpacking Douglass Articles
- Working with a partner, discuss your annotations for:
- Key words/terms
- New Information
- Significant Information
- Confusing Information
How has the work we’ve done in this unit so far made you think about images, photographs, films, and representations differently?
Tues 1/9
cont. discussion from Douglass
Presentation Assignment
- I Am Not Your Negro
- 13th
HW: Reading and preparing for discussion for Newsworthy topic
Wed 1/10
Discussion for Newsworthy topic
Film Viewing
HW: Reading and preparing for discussion for Newsworthy topic
Thurs 1/11
Discussion of Newsworthy topic
Film Viewing and start work on presentations
Fri 1/12
cont. films
Tues 1/16
Presentation work day (after exams)
Wed 1/17
Reviewing for the Exam
Tues 1/23
Exam
Wed 1/24
Drop
Thurs 1/25
Q2 Participation Reflection – google classroom
Collaborating with group for presentation
Fri 1/26
Collaborating with group for presentation
HW: “Love/Hate: New York, Race, and 1989”
- What were the events of 1989 and their impact on the city that this article describes?
Mon 1/29
Presentations on I Am Not Your Negro and 13th
Allyson Hobbs’s “The Power of Looking, from Emmett Till to Philando Castile – The New Yorker”
Tues 1/30
Finish Presentations
Wed 1/31
Newsworthy Topics Discussion
I AM A MAN
Emmett Till and Dana Schuz painting
Thurs 2/1
1989 and Do the Right Thing
HW: “Asian-American Actors Are Fighting for Visibility” and paragraph length response how that article and”Love/Hate: New York, Race, and 1989” influenced your viewing of Do the Right Thing. What specifically stood out to you?
Fri 2/2
Do the Right Thing
- What is the ‘right thing’?
HW: Newsworthy Topic (see shared google doc)
Mon 2/5
Drop
Tues 2/6
finish film
HW: Preparing for the Socratic Seminar by creating 6 discussion questions about the film. Your questions should not only address the film but also consider the essential questions of this unit and the readings and other texts we have examined as part of this unit.
Wed 2/7
Newsworthy Topic
Socratic Seminar
HW: review your questions given today’s discussion
Thurs 2/8
cont. Socratic Seminar
HW: Reading the overview of the final assignment & Zadie Smith’s “Getting In and Getting Out: Who Owns Black Pain?”
Fri 2/9
Volunteers to visit junior classes
“Getting in and Getting Out” as multi-modal (one example)
Writing the Do the Right Thing Response
Brainstorming possibilities for multi-modal
HW: Thomas’s and Dylan’s Newsworthy topics
Mon 2/12
Newsworthy Topic Discussion
Working on The Proposal
Creating The Proposal
- Which essential question are you addressing? What are your initial thoughts on answering this question?
- Potential images to examine and synthesize
- What form will your piece take? Why? How will it help further the idea of your composition?
Tues 2/13
Presenting proposals
- Feedback from peers and teacher
HW: Reflection: After hearing the feedback from my peers and teacher, I…
Wed 2/14
Continuing Proposals
HW: Enjoy the break
Thurs 2/15
Drop
Mon 2/26
cont. Proposals
Drafting the intro
HW: Newsworthy topic and have images to show tomorrow – begin playing and assembling images – what relationships are created when these images are side by side?
Tues 2/27
Newsworthy discussion
Assemblage Day
HW: writing the introduction – submit on google classroom
Wed 2/28
Newsworthy discussion
Drafting day and conference time with Ms. Weeks and/or the Writing Center
Thurs 3/1
Drafting day and conference time with Ms. Weeks and/or the Writing Center
HW: submit draft
Fri 3/2
Drafting day and conference time with Ms. Weeks and/or the Writing Center
Mon 3/5
Drafting day and conference time with Ms. Weeks and/or the Writing Center
Submit your draft by 2.05
Tues 3/6
Black Panther debrief and discussion
HW: submit final draft
Wed 3/7
Starting next unit
