A Pedagogical Tool for the Application of Critical Discourse Analysis in the Interpretation of Film and Other Multimodal Discursive Practices
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University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 12-2015 Active Critical Engagement (ACE): A Pedagogical Tool for the Application of Critical Discourse Analysis in the Interpretation of Film and Other Multimodal Discursive Practices Sultana Aaliuah Shabazz University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons Recommended Citation Shabazz, Sultana Aaliuah, "Active Critical Engagement (ACE): A Pedagogical Tool for the Application of Critical Discourse Analysis in the Interpretation of Film and Other Multimodal Discursive Practices. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2015. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/3607 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Sultana Aaliuah Shabazz entitled "Active Critical Engagement (ACE): A Pedagogical Tool for the Application of Critical Discourse Analysis in the Interpretation of Film and Other Multimodal Discursive Practices." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Education. Barbara J. Thayer-Bacon, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Harry Dahms, Rebecca Klenk, Lois Presser Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) Active Critical Engagement (ACE): A Pedagogical Tool for the Application of Critical Discourse Analysis in the Interpretation of Film and Other Multimodal Discursive Practices A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Sultana Aaliuah Shabazz December 2015 ii Copyright © 2015 by Sultana Aaliuah Shabazz All rights reserved. iii Acknowledgements I would never have been able to complete my dissertation without the guidance of my committee members and the support of friends and family. I am eternally indebted to the persons below who made my research possible and assisted me at every point to be successful: Heartfelt thankfulness and appreciation to my advisor, chair and mentor, Dr. Barbara Thayer-Bacon, for her undying support academically, intellectually, and personally. Great respect and admiration to the rest of my dissertation committee, Dr. H. Dahms, Dr. R. Klenk, and Dr. L. Presser, whose practice, intellect, and insight inspired me and helped to make this work possible. Many thanks to Dr. L. Yamagata-Lynch, Dr. H. Pollio, and Dr. S. Ellison for providing instrumental pieces of the puzzle; and to Dr. Smith for keeping me physically healthy. Deepest gratitude to my colleagues in LEEDS for their encouragement and esprit de corps; Shannon (for starting this); Maria, Miranda, and other friends for being sympathetic sounding boards; Hallyu and my siblings, Farah and Will, for keeping me balanced. Without your invaluable emotional, moral, and financial support, this would not have been possible. iv Abstract The purpose of this dissertation is to develop a pedagogical framework for applying a critical discourse methodology in the analysis of film as a multimodal, narrative construct of social discourse. This orientation is grounded in a cultural studies perspective that recognizes the significance of popular culture and allows me to situate film as a discursive practice, pedagogical resource, and (re)producer of social knowledges. Once situated, the need arises for a systematic method of critical analysis that controls for the rich, discursive landscape of multimodal artifacts without succumbing to over-reduction. My original contribution - the Active Critical Engagement (ACE) framework – addresses a gap in methodological applications for scholars interested in using critical discourse analysis and visual artifacts. The ACE framework builds on multimodal critical discourse analysis to structure the interrogation of three films: My Name is Khan, Bhaji on the Beach, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – films chosen because they allow for transnational considerations of Othering, orientalism, and situated experience. The key modal elements of text, imagery, and narrative are used to control for the semiotic richness offered in films. These elements are then filtered through analytic foci to identify and interrogate primary and secondary narratives for problematic iterations of power and marginalization. Finally, a post analysis functions as a reflective practice to allow for deeper interrogation of the interpreter’s experience. The analysis generated by application of the ACE framework demonstrates the possibilities for facilitating a critical orientation - an orientation that questions dogmatic constructions of social knowledge that (re)produce discriminatory social practices. As a pedagogical tool, ACE finds its theoretical support in both critical and semiotic pedagogical methodologies. This reflects the v centering of social justice issues and the impact of social discourses on the (re)production of social knowledges. This type of transformative teaching does diverge from most methods of standardized education and several practical concerns are considered. It is hoped that this research provides additional support for teachers incorporating critical analysis in their courses. vi Table of Contents Chapter 1: Toward a Framework for Multimodal Discourse Analysis ....................... 1 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................... 2 Why Critical Discourse Analysis ................................................................................ 7 Conceptualizing the Other ........................................................................................ 11 Analytic Focus .......................................................................................................... 13 A Transnational Perspective ..................................................................................... 17 Coming Attractions ................................................................................................... 19 Chapter 2: The Active Critical Engagement (ACE) Framework ............................... 22 Synopsis: My Name is Khan (MNIK) ........................................................................... 23 Section 1: Mode ............................................................................................................ 30 Text. .......................................................................................................................... 31 Imagery. .................................................................................................................... 35 Narrative ................................................................................................................... 42 Section 2: Analytic Focus ............................................................................................. 48 Identifying key discourses: montages and discourse streams ................................... 50 Discourse stream: civil rights.................................................................................... 52 Secondary narratives. ................................................................................................ 54 Section 3: Post Analysis................................................................................................ 57 Discourse, design and production. ............................................................................ 59 Positionality. ............................................................................................................. 61 Power relations and social practices. ........................................................................ 64 ACE: the Wrap Up ........................................................................................................ 67 Chapter 3: ACE in Practice ........................................................................................... 71 Analysis and Discourse ................................................................................................. 71 Analytic Focus: gender. ............................................................................................ 71 Exemplar I ..................................................................................................................... 73 Synopsis: Bhaji on the Beach (BotB) ....................................................................... 73 Analysis and Discourse ............................................................................................. 77 Primary narrative ...................................................................................................... 77 Secondary narrative (1): gendered male ................................................................... 79 Secondary narrative (2): the feminist/lesbian connection ......................................... 83 Secondary narrative