ERIC Number: EJ880327
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-1946
EISSN: N/A
Student Communities and Individualism in American Cinema
Warnick, Bryan R.; Dawson, Heather S.; Smith, D. Spencer; Vosburg-Bluem, Bethany
Educational Studies: Journal of the American Educational Studies Association, v46 n2 p168-191 2010
Hollywood films partially construct how Americans think about education. Recent work on the representation of schools in American cinema has highlighted the role of class difference in shaping school film genres. It has also advanced the idea that a nuanced understanding of American individualism helps to explain why the different class genres are shaped as they are. This article attempts to refine this theoretical approach by focusing on the "paradox of individualism," which suggests that individualism must always be dependent on community. We examine 5 films ("Rushmore" 1988, "The Breakfast Club" 1985, "Mona Lisa Smile" 2003, "School of Rock" 2003, and "Stand and Deliver" 1988) and argue that, although the values of individualism are certainly celebrated, these films also show, perhaps unwittingly, that the achievements of individualism require robust student communities. We describe how student communities function in these films, what achievements they make possible, and what obstacles they face. (Contains 6 notes.)
Descriptors: School Role, Mass Media Effects, Cultural Influences, Public Opinion, Socioeconomic Influences, Community Role, Political Attitudes, Middle Class, Social Values, Films, Content Analysis, Individualism, Citizen Participation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A