Other Thoughts....

I am currently debating on changing my subject. I just finished the chapter on motion pictures and I was intrigued. My problem is that my original topic truly interests me. I'm also debating on what angle I could take when it comes to motion pictures.

Proposal

I am requesting your approval to do my Freshman Focus research project on the subliminal messages that are illustrated throughout Disney films. I hope to determine that there are underlying messages that transmit and express negative stereotypes such as racism and sexism to a susceptible society. Disney films have been a big part of my childhood since I was extremely young, and I want to explore any underlying messages that I might have learned unconsciously from some of the more popular Disney films. I am going to research how Disney films demonstrate stereotypical messages through character depiction, sound/music, and environment illustrations. I will be using a number of online resources to aid in my research. I will provide basic history on the creation of a few Disney films and explore some of the different stereotypes that have been recognized by my fellow researchers. I will also search for my own stereotypes as I review some of my childhood films.

Annotated Bibliography Number Six

Wingfield, Marvin, and Bushra Karaman. "Arab Stereotypes and American Educators - American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee." Home - American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Mar. 1995. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. <http://www.adc.org/education/arab-stereotypes-and-american-educators/>.

Disney created a controversial film with the production of Aladdin and their depiction of the Arab culture. It does portray an Arab hero, but the film does not come without its criticisms. The film has been condemned for illustrating the lead characters as light-skinned figures with Anglicized features. They have even been criticized for the use of Americanized accents as voices for their characters. The film has been further criticized for its illustrations of the Arab culture as being barbaric and cruel. Even the environment is portrayed as barren and desolate. The article continues by stating that popular culture has given a repeatedly bad image to the Arab culture with their portrayal of provocative women and violent men.  The article states that the educators of our children have done nothing to prevent bias amongst the young children viewers.  The backlash that accompanies these negative stereotypes has harmful effects on the Arab Americans in the United States. The Arab culture and their history is not something that is discussed or taught in schools today. The article concludes by stating that people should make an effort to avoid such harmful stereotyping.  (189)

Annotated Bibliography Number Five

Murnane, John. "Reversing the "Disneyfication" Process: Using Disney Films to Debunk Stereotypes and Oversimplification in Middle and High School Social Science Courses." The History Cooperative. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. <http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/whc/5.1/murnane.html>.

The article begins by stating that Disney has a wide, diverse audience. It continues by stating that Disney has a great impact on stereotypes and public perceptions of nationality, values, and gender biases. The article states that some people in society believe that people read too much into Disney films. Proponents of this position believe that Disney is purely for entertainment purposes. The article continues by stating that Disney is the first global experience many children are exposed to pertaining to the outside world and the different cultures. Because Disney is such a global phenomenon, the article states that Disney’s films have an impact on student perception in high school and middle school. This article proceeds with stating that a critical analysis of media would be beneficial to the school system by providing an opportunity to analyze a large part of the popular media culture. The article continues by critically analyzing the movies Mulan, Aladdin, Tarzan, and The Lion King as examples.  The article ends by stating that Disney films can be compared to different aspects of history, culture, or social studies. The article states that Disney provides an opportunity to recognize stereotypes and generalization in our history and culture.

Annotated Bibliography Number Four

Gillam, Ken, and Shannon Wooden. "Post-Princess Models of Gender: The New Man in Disney/Pixar." Journal of Popular Film and Television 36.1 (2008): 2-8. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Mar. 11.

< http://mulinutil1.millikin.edu:2274/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?hid=110&sid=02f6a686-1078-4d03-b0c1-9fa7e45e57db%40sessionmgr110&vid=5>.

                       

The article begins by stating that Disney’s Pixar films have featured macho stereotypes in many of their previous movies. The alpha-male persona has become a prominent occurrence throughout Disney’s history of films.  Three major pictures discussed in this article are Cars, Toy Story, and The Incredibles. Male Disney leads undergo a change as they progress throughout the film. According to this article, all the male characters strive to achieve the ultimate male persona and at the end achieve a new understanding as a man. It continues by stating that Disney manipulates the male image to encompass new outlooks on the male identity.  The article proceeds by saying that many of Disney main male characters undergo changes that allow them to accept a more understanding and kinder outlook that proceeds the transformation to the “new male” model.  The author continues by stating the male bonds are essential in the creation of this new model of male characters. The “new man” is a character that has evolved and accepted his emotions and masculinity to emerge transformed. The article ends by stating that we must be conscious of any messages that are being illustrated to society through Disney films. (200)

Visual Examples

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://img.listal.com/image/1184407/500full.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.listal.com/list/racist-disney&usg=__cUGv_YMgazM-AZ_fUSb9BB14058=&h=200&w=400&sz=42&hl=en&start=0&sig2=cSxbj61HjNAmo6xZgNUb1g&zoom=1&tbnid=qL4Pwc65NPZcMM:&tbnh=94&tbnw=188&ei=_6pgTeGgBoX7lweS3qT6Cw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DRacist%2Bimages%2Bin%2Bdisney%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1123%26bih%3D437%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=674&vpy=108&dur=1043&hovh=159&hovw=318&tx=148&ty=99&oei=_6pgTeGgBoX7lweS3qT6Cw&page=1&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0

http://www.pinpics.com/cgi-bin/group.cgi?group=2114
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.kids-comforter-set.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Disney_Jasmine_princess.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.kids-comforter-set.com/tag/kids-comforter-set/&usg=__ydI3EtW8R-SJ1GloBvt5XiDgxGo=&h=650&w=324&sz=106&hl=en&start=0&sig2=D-N0W2sFWD6h5rhmxiWR9A&zoom=1&tbnid=HGrO5lepqWMtRM:&tbnh=115&tbnw=57&ei=xKtgTdmgLoLGlQeH6bzjCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DJasmine%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1123%26bih%3D437%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=163&oei=xKtgTdmgLoLGlQeH6bzjCw&page=1&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&tx=30&ty=58

Idea Number Two

         My next idea would be the comparison of American photojournalism to other countries photojournalism. I would research the difference techniques and the varying censorship that distinguishes America’s techniques and expression versus other countries. What interests me about this topic is that different cultures hold different standards for what they allow shown in their media. My research had indicated that different nations have strict guidelines for what they allow in their media. My fear with this topic is that there will not be enough reliable sources for me to reference.