The aim of this assignment is to conduct a sociological movie review. Paper instructions: Sociologists collect data by conducting surveys, observational studies, and experiments. They also scavenge existing data, hunting for evidence of social patterns in newspapers, diaries, and historical archives.

Sociological Movie Review.

Paper instructions: Sociologists collect data by conducting surveys, observational studies, and experiments. They also scavenge existing data, hunting for evidence of social patterns in newspapers, diaries, and historical archives. Why not hunt for sociological data in movies? Movies are as much a human product as, say, newspapers are. Because they are made by and about people in particular social and historical contexts, movies can tell us a lot about typical patterns of inequality, ways of raising children, form of deviance, and just about all other aspects of social life. In fact, because movies are easily accessible, relatively inexpensive, and often a lot of fun, they are in many ways an ideal sociological data resource for undergraduates.

Sociological Movie Review.

Movies, especially American movies, are arguably the most popular and influential part of popular culture, not just in the United States but almost everywhere. Accordingly, reviews can entertainingly show students that fresh sociological insights can be gleaned even from one of the most taken-for-granted elements of their everyday world. Now it is your turn to try your hand at writing your own movie review from a sociological perspective. The following template outlines the steps you should take in selecting a movie to review, what to watch for and think about from a sociological angle while watching the movie, and finally, how to write your review.

Sociological Movie Review.

Good luck – and see you at the movies! How to Watch Movies from a Sociological Perspective One may assess a movie from sociological, literary, historical, dramatic, technical, philosophical, artistic or other points of view. In each case, the reviewer applies different evaluative criteria drawn from different disciplinary perspectives. The sociological perspective suggests at least five criteria for evaluating movies, any one or more of which may be highlighted in a review: How does the movie reflect its social context? What can we learn about social conditions in a particular time and place from the movie?

Sociological Movie Review.

How and why are the social conditions depicted in the movie different from social conditions in other times and places? For example, James Bond movies from the 1960s and 1970s have much to say about the Cold War, the rise of the United States and the USSR as superpowers, the decline of the UK in world affairs, and men’s attitudes towards women. After the early 1990s, social and political change influenced the way these themes were depicted. It would make a fascinating sociological project to review old and recent James Bond movies with the aim of identifying these changes and the reasons for them.

Sociological Movie Review.

Similarly, Tarzan, Superman, and Disney movies could be analyzed with the aim of identifying change in underlying social conditions as reflected in the movies. How does the movie distort social reality? Although movies are mirrors to society, they are far from perfect reflections. Often they systematically distort social realities. Movies can therefore teach us a lot about the prejudices, ideologies, and misconceptions of particular times and places. Consider the 2000 movie, Miss Congeniality, starring Sandra Bullock. It is a Cinderella story in which events permit the heroine’s “true self” to emerge.

Sociological Movie Review.

But while the idea of a “true self” makes for a good story, it denies the sociological fact that one’s identity is always in flux. One’s self remains “true” only until social conditions require the invention of a new self. Why then do we find the idea of a true self so appealing that it reappears in many movies? Sociological movie reviews can often serve as opportunities for raising such important sociological questions. To what degree does the movie shed light on common or universal social and human problems?https://youtu.be/ETEYTFv-ao8?list=PLcJARtAjCkxcdzOcvp9CpsM0laFOuzi8U

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