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Week 15, Blog Discussion, Rocky I and Rocky II

What are some of the things/people around Rocky that give his masculine characterization meaning?  How does counter identification work in these two films? Make a comment about how Adrian is characterized in the two films, particularly in all of the discussions between Rocky and Paulie.  You should also think of Adrian in the context of other women characters and types we have seen this semester. To receive credit, you must support your answers by referring to a specific scene from either Rocky I or Rocky II.  You cannot repeat a scene or moment that is already being discussed so be creative with your examples.

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Week 14, Blog Discussion, Enter the Dragon

Question 1: Begin a perceptive discussion of the Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris fight scene from Return of the Dragon (1972) that we watched in class. Try to make unique observations. You might consider: what’s going on with the body and body types, how performance plays a role here, and the recoding of Chinese men (and their bodies) as masculine in this context–especially as he battles a white American man in Norris.  Finally, what on earth is going on with the shots of the kitten?

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Question 2: Beyond constructions of Chinese American masculinity that we see getting formed in a film like Enter the Dragon, what else can you say about American identity and race in this film? Refer to a specific scene/moment in the film to support your argument about the film’s ideological perspective on this question of race and nationality.

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Week 13: Blog Discussion, The Scene

For this “discussion” please continue the character mapping we began in class. Your task is to name a character (both central and marginal) from The Scene and explain some basic biographical information about that character.  Next, for a deeper analysis, make a comment about how the representation of this character relates to American national identity, a theme from the 1960s, or masculinity. Finally, note a page or passage that you want to discuss in class that relates to this character in some way. Important: try not to repeat characters that other students are discussing. We want to compose a complete list of different characters.

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Week 12: Blog Discussion, Easy Rider

In your viewing of the film Easy Rider, which scene stood out to you as containing a particular vision of the 1960s counterculture(s) but, at the same time, included some elements of expression that contradicted part of that vision? Describe the scene and the countercultural vision as well as the contradictions/tensions.  (Please do not use the scene in the diner that we discussed in class.) Finally, as the superhero motif for this class continues to get activated, is it significant that Wyatt (Peter Fonda’s character) is called Captain America? What do you make of his costume?

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Entering the 1960s: Important Themes and Movements

Please view these clips:

Anti-War Movement

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War Footage

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/rFDy55SGrBc" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

More war footage

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LSD

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