Sociology of Culture Assignment:
• In this assignment we will cross cultures through film. We will use techniques of understanding society through visual sociology.
India: Love Per Square Foot (2018)
France: I Am Not An Easy Man (2018)
Mexico: Coco (2017)
Though the films are not connected in any way, the dialogue of culture and the struggle of modernity is vividly depicted throughout each. Feminism, cultural identities, norms, mores, values, etc. are all uniquely engaged in each film. Please watch all 3 films for this assignment. These are all available on Netflix.
Articles
The three cultures we will examine in this assignment are France, India and Mexico. Please read the following articles for this assignment and then watch the corresponding films using the movie guide included in this folder.
1. India: Problems of India’s Changing Family and State Intervention (J.P. Singh)
2. France: Cherchez la Femme: Women and Values in the Francophone World (Section 1). (You must read the entire attached article).
3. Mexico: Cultural Models of Masculinity and Drug Use: “Machismo
Movie Guide
What are the various clothing types worn in the film? What are the differences of male and female clothing at different events? What assumptions can you make sociologically about these?
What are the social status markers in the film (jobs of the characters, education, house, etc)?
How do the main characters interact with their peers? What language is spoken with peers?
How do the main characters interact with elders? With their parents, in-laws, bosses, etc?
Do the main characters have a modern or traditional perspective in thinking?
What is the presence of religion(s)?
How are foreigners portrayed?
What sort of transportation do the characters use in the film?
What are the themes of the movie?
Are these modern problems or more traditional? Relevant today?
How is poverty depicted?
How are different social classes depicted (what are the markers)?
What language do they speak in most of the time? What about the narration (if applicable)? Is the English similar to how we speak?
How are women portrayed in the movie? (More of an object or an intellectual person)
Are the situations relevant to our culture? How so?
Is there a sense of nationalism in the film? If yes, in what ways are they portrayed?
What non-verbal communication is used (similar or different to ours)?
What morals are portrayed in the film?
What brand names are displayed in the film?
What type of corruption (if any) is depicted in the film?
What have you learned about the culture from this particular film? What about culture and globalism and society?
