Cultural Project: Day 1; Persepolis: Day 1

Your take-home test on Red Scarf Girl is due today by 11:59 tonight. Please turn in your test to our Google Classroom or by hand today in my in-box.

Period 1:

This morning, please research the culture of the country you chose. Your task is to create a short documentary (animated or live action) that discusses the unique cultural heritage of that particular country.

Remember that culture can include the following: the beliefs, religion, values, philosophy, myths, stories, art, music, media, activities, language, traditions, governing or political system, architecture, food, material goods/technology, and history of a given people. Cultures include those on the inside (the rulers or Hegemony) as well as the outsiders (the marginalized, the foreigners, or sometimes the minorities) of the country.

Your documentary should be between 1-5 minutes in length. You will need to write a reading script for a voice over for your documentary. Here are a few examples of what I mean with cultures we didn't pick:
You can use a Youtube converter to grab video or film or use still shots and photos from the internet in your documentary as you deem necessary. To make your documentary, you might like to use Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, iMoviePowtoonAnimakerRenderforestBitable, or some other movie making software of your choosing.

The second part of your project involves reading and writing. I have prepared a packet of sample writing from the chosen cultures/countries you picked. You will be using these packets of stories/poems to do the following:
  • Read the poetry and fiction. 
  • Learn a little about the author(s). [Take notes...]
More details will follow for this part. Keep your packets safe. See homework.

The first step in your documentary project, however, is doing the research necessary and taking notes on your subject's culture. So get to it. You will have time next class to continue your project. More details on part 2 will occur then. This project is not due yet.

Period 2 (around 8:30):

Persepolis (2008) by Marjane Satrapi (see handout)

Today we will be watching Persepolis (2008) by Marjane Satrapi. For those interested, take a little look at the history of Iran (another example of a documentary...) Watch the crash course video and learn something about Iranian culture/history for context.

At the link, you can find (fortunately) the original graphic novel. Please take a bit of time to look at how the graphic novel differs from the film by reading some of the novel and comparing/contrasting the different genres. Notice how the film, at its heart, is a traditional bildungsroman--or coming of age story. Issues of gender and women are interwoven with post-colonial issues.  See the links on the sidebar regarding comic book history/culture. And the pop-cultural phenomenon that is comicon.

HOMEWORK: Read the packet of stories/poems and graphic novel sample from Marjane Satrapi given to you today. Continue your research on your chosen subject. Consider and choose your Lambent selections. You will have time to do that tomorrow in Ms. Gamzon's lab.

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