Minority Film Seminar

Jan. 13, 1996

Teachers Sought for UW-RF Minority Films Grant Program

Wisconsin and Minnesota high school teachers can qualify for a paid summer workshop at UW-River Falls from July 8-Aug. 2 to study minority representations in the cinema.

"Cinematic Representations of America's Ethnic Minorities" is a four-week regional summer institute funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The study program is for high school teachers of English, history, and social studies. A grant will cover room and board, a weekly stipend for the institute's four weeks, and a travel allowance. A stipend will also be provided for a 3-day follow-up meeting June 9-11, 1997.

The summer institute participants will develop their own multicultural curricular units in literature, history, or social studies using film and will implement their projects during the 1996-97 school year. The institute will meet again for three days in the summer of 1997 to share results.

The institute will explore ways to read films as historical and cultural texts in order to use film more effectively in helping students understand the changing dynamics of America's cultural diversity and the role of film in shaping those dynamics.

The teachers will be introduced to various methodologies of cinema study by examining the formal features of both narrative and documentary film, the filmmakers' intentions, similarities and differences between literary and film texts, and film content as historical and cultural documents.

Among the visiting scholars who will present at the institute are:

Thomas Cripps, history professor at Morgan State University, who is the author of "Slow Fade to Black: The Negro in American Film 1900-1942," "Making Movies Black: The Hollywood Message Movie from WWII to the Civil Rights Era," and the documentary, "Black Shadows on a Silver Screen."

David Mura, a writer, critic, and performance artist, whose books include "Turning Japanese," "After We Lost Our Way," and "The Colors of Desire."

Diane Glancy, associate professor of English at Macalester College, author of "Pushing the Bear," and numerous short stories, a play, and books of poetry.

Carlos Cortes, emeritus history professor at UC-Riverside, the editor of the 21-volume "The Mexican American," the 55-volume "The Chicano Heritage," and the 31-volume "Hispanics in the U.S."

Iverson White, associate professor of film at UW-Milwaukee, filmmaker and cinematographer, whose works include "Dark Exodus" and "Magic Love."

Randy Croce, a video producer, director, and editor, whose videos include "Clouded Land."

Those seeking additional information about the institute can find it at the UW-RF World Wide Web site: http://www.uwrf.edu/english/neh.html

To obtain an institute application form, which must be submitted by April 15, teachers should contact Professor Carole Gerster, institute director, at: English Department, UW-River Falls, 410 S. Third St., River Falls, WI 54022, or phone 715/425-3354 or 425-3850.

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