Documentary Films for Teaching Psychology Courses
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DDooccuummeennttaarryy FFiillmmss ffoorr TTeeaacchhiinngg PPssyycchhoollooggyy Sylvie Taylor, Ph.D. Antioch University Los Angeles (2009 Instructional Resource Award Recipient) Author contact information: Sylvie Taylor, Ph.D., Antioch University Los Angeles, 400 Corporate Pointe, Culver City, CA, 90230 ([email protected]) Copyright © 2011 by Sylvie Taylor. All rights reserved. You may reproduce multiple copies of this material for your own personal use, including use in your classes and/or sharing with individual colleagues as long as the author’s name and institution and the Office of Teaching Resources in Psychology heading or other identifying information appear on the copied document. No other permission is implied or granted to print, copy reproduce, or distribute additional copies of this material. Anyone who wishes to produce copies for purposes other than those specified above must obtain the permission of the author. Introduction Dear Colleague: The purpose of this resource is to provide you with an annotated listing of documentary films for teaching psychology courses. Documentary film is a powerful medium for psychology course instruction, providing examples of concepts, issues, and theoretical principles, embedded in the real‐world human experience. Documentaries are also excellent tools for presenting complex concepts that do not lend themselves readily to description or explanation. This resource is not in any way intended to be a comprehensive listing of all documentaries that contain content relevant to the teaching of psychology. The number of documentary films produced in the past decade has increased exponentially. At present there is no entity that tracks the number of documentaries produced each year, nor is there an entity that maintains a master list of all documentaries produced within the United States, let alone, internationally. In preparing this resource I screened over 1,000 films. The films included in this resource were selected using the following criteria: thematic compatibility (the content of the film reflect topics of interest within the divisions of the APA and subject matter covered in psychology courses); contemporary content (the content of the film reflects contemporary issues, themes, and theoretical perspectives); length (the running time of the entire film or segments of the film are compatible with typical course meeting schedules); and availability (the film is readily available in DVD format through libraries, distributors, retail, and/or rental outlets). This resource does not include material exclusively available on VHS tape. Many colleges and universities across the country are phasing out VHS technology and libraries are purging VHS materials from their collections (Russell, 2010). In screening films for this resource I found that the majority of films that I borrowed through interlibrary loan that were in VHS format were highly degraded with picture and sound issues that would be too distracting for classroom use. Please take a few moments to review “How to Navigate this Resource.” It will provide you with information on how to navigate the document using Adobe Reader. In addition, I have provided some background on the documentary film genre and pedagogical strategies for using documentary films (see “Documentary Film and Pedagogy”), and “Tips for Using Documentaries as Teaching Tools,” which you may also find helpful. I hope that you will find this resource as a useful tool for teaching your courses. I would appreciate any feedback about this resource that you would like to share with me, and I am always interested in hearing about new documentaries. Sylvie Taylor Los Angeles November, 2010 [email protected] Documentary Films for Teaching Psychology i Documentary Film and Pedagogy Documentary Film and Pedagogy Documentary Film Documentary films are a distinct genre, set apart from narrative fiction (feature films) and avant‐ garde films by five major characteristics: subjects; purposes, viewpoints, or approaches; forms; production methods and techniques; and audience response (Ellis & McLane, 2005). Documentaries are about specific, factual material and generally explore matters of public, rather than private concern. These films document sociocultural phenomena in order to educate or raise the consciousness of the audience’s understanding and interest in the people, events, places, institutions, and/or problems they highlight. For the most part, these films are unscripted – their content is limited to what the filmmaker can actually observe and capture on film. These films are about “real people” and are shot in the “real world.” Finally, the intent of documentary film is not only to provide viewers with an aesthetic experience, but to impact or influence the attitudes of their audiences, and perhaps even inspire them to action (Ellis & McLane, 2005). It is important to note that most documentary filmmakers are trained as filmmakers or come to the genre from some other closely related discipline such as journalism or communications. They are not, as a group, trained in psychology – most, would consider themselves to be artists. So while many documentary films contain content and information relevant to psychology, the films are not, for the most part, created with psychological principles in mind. Documentary films are similar to naturalistic observation or ethnography in that the filmmakers “document” what they see and experience. Because these films document real‐life experiences of their subjects, some themes are difficult to capture. For example, there are a limited number of films that depict vulnerable populations (individuals with psychiatric disorders, abused and neglected children, prisoners, refugees, etc.) because issues of consent and exploitation often come into play. Despite some of the limitations of the genre, these films are still valuable resources for the teaching of psychology. Pedagogy As noted in the introduction to this resource, documentary films are a powerful tool for instruction in psychology. They can expose students to aspects of the human experience that may be unfamiliar or provide examples of concepts that are difficult to explain or describe. Below you will find various pedagogical approaches for the use of documentary films in teaching psychology courses. Use of Clips to Reinforce Concepts or Provide Examples This is one of the easiest ways to use documentaries in teaching. Clips (typically under five minutes in length) can serve as brief examples of complex concepts and reinforce what has been covered in readings and lecture. For example, students in an abnormal psychology or psychopathology course may read and hear about clinical symptoms such as pressured speech and flight of ideas. Using a brief clip of an individual demonstrating these symptoms can serve to strengthen your coverage of this material in class and reinforce students’ understanding of the concepts. This can be done in two ways. If students have already read material that describes the concepts, you may want to show the clip, prior to discussing the concepts in class, and use it as an opportunity to assess if students understood the reading Documentary Films for Teaching Psychology ii Documentary Film and Pedagogy and recognize the concepts (or in some cases if they did the reading at all). Another approach is to present and define the concepts and then show the clip as an example. Either way, the use of the clip provides a real‐life example of the concepts in order to supplement the reading and lecture. Although this is a highly effective use of documentary material, it is important not to over do it in any one class. You don’t want to find yourself in a circumstance where you need to cue up multiple DVDs for one class session. Students will lose interest and you will lose a lot of class time. Use of Segments or an Entire Film to Lay a Foundation for Unfamiliar Content Students often lack experience with or exposure to a range of topics and issues presented in psychology courses. For example, many students enrolled in developmental psychology courses have had little exposure to infants. Using documentary segments [up to 20 minutes in length] of infants interacting with their caregivers and the environment around them, can lay a foundation for students, ensuring that at minimum, all students in the class have some exposure infant behavior. This can also serve to reinforce what is covered in lecture and readings, especially if you refer back the film in your class examples. You may find that you teach courses on topics that your students are likely to have little knowledge or understanding about, such as the psychology of homelessness. In this example, showing an entire film that depicts the experiences of homeless people, how they meet their basic needs, and the impact that homelessness has on their physical and psychological well‐being would serve students well in orienting them to key issues that will be addressed in your course. The raw realism that a documentary can bring to this issue (and many others) can serve to connect your students to real‐world human challenges in a way that dramatic films cannot. Use of Clips or Segments to Introduce Difficult or Controversial Issues Psychology courses often address issues of diversity or controversial subjects (e.g., ageism, racism, gay marriage). Using documentary film to introduce these topics can inform students less familiar with the issues and provide material for discussion and further exploration. This