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Understanding the Political Influence of Film

High School, ELA & Reading

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Description of Unit

In this unit, students will become familiar with notable political films and the messages that the films impart. They will study these films’ scripts, performances, artistic choices, and historical contexts to understand the complex political conversations contained within. Students are to develop a research plan that explains how they intend to gather, use, and analyze information to prove the political influence a film has on an audience. The final product and presentation should reflect a deep understanding of the political nuances within film and the tools that filmmakers use to achieve their vision. 

This guide links the Understanding the Political Influence of Film unit to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for high school students. Understanding the Political Influence of Film is an English language arts unit that encourages students to study the effect that film can have on the political opinions of an audience. The unit also has connections to social studies, and the students’ research may include topics such as class, policy effectiveness, leadership integrity, and political representation. The following document includes the applicable TEKS and the details of the Understanding the Political Influence of Film unit. The final section of this document presents the applicable Texas College and Career Readiness Standards adopted by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) on January 24, 2008. 

Phase I. Learning Experiences

  1. Students will begin the unit by examining how politics and political messages are embedded in film. They will explore why filmmakers and producers include political messages and look at the historical context of notable political films. Students should consider the impact of societal issues like poverty, privilege, death, and anger as some of the reasons political films are made. Some useful resources for students to consult in their exploration include the following: 
    1. Slate: Asawin Suebsaeng and Chris Mooney – “Seven Movies That Changed People’s Political Views”
    2. London School of Economics: Michelle C. Pautz – “Films Can Have a Major Influence on How People View Government” 
    3. The New York Times: John Guida – “How Movies Can Change Our Minds”
    4. Cinema and Media Studies: Kathryn Cramer Brownell – “Hollywood and Politics” 
  2. Students will hold a class discussion about politics and film. The teacher may want to guide the discourse with the following questions: 
    1. How do you define the term, politics? 
    2. What makes something political? 
    3. What makes something political? 
    4. What are the political topics in our country (or the world) that seem to transcend time? 
    5. What are your favorite films? 
    6. What are the political topics present in your favorite films? 
  3. Students will attempt to view world political issues from the perspective of various cultures. They will explore films that have been made about important political topics or events in other countries. They should consider how these topics and events are viewed when looking through the lens of another culture. Students will conduct research on notable political films in other countries/cultures and present their findings to the class. They should include the names and stars of the films, the political and historical context in which the films were made, and a summary or review of the film. Students will look for commonalities between films from other cultures and those of their own. 
  4. Individually or in small groups, students will brainstorm a list of important political topics, events, or subjects that they have gleaned from their research and class discussions. They will choose one topic/event/subject for which they believe a film needs to be made. Students will outline the story that needs to be told and create a storyboard for the proposed film. These proposed storyboards will be presented to the class. Students will identify the driving political issue of the film, show where it can be found throughout the story, and explain how they chose to demonstrate its importance in the plot. 

Phase II. Independent Research

A. Research process 

  1. Selecting the topic. Each student will select three or four films that contain political issues to study. Students will view these films, research their historical and political contexts, and determine how the political messages within the films may have influenced the political views of the audience.”
  2. Asking guiding questions. Once the student has selected films to study, he or she will create three to five guiding questions to drive research. Examples of possible questions include the following: 
    1. How does art fuel political discussions? 
    2. How have political films in the past affected political change? 
    3. How do a director’s political leanings affect his or her choice of film project? 
    4. How politically influential is film on the general public? 
    5. How politically influential is film on specific populations groups (e.g., college students, senior citizens, religious organizations)? 
  3. Creating a research proposal. The student will use a TPSP Research Proposal Form to plan his or her final product. He or she will decide what resources will be used to gather information about the guiding questions. The student should have a clear idea about the political messages imparted in the selected films he or she intends to investigate. 
  4. Conducting the research. The student will use Internet resources, books, and periodical sources to gather background and contextual information on the films he or she has selected. He or she will document the work path by completing a Primary Resource Process Sheet and Secondary Resource Process Sheet.


B. The product 

The student will demonstrate what he or she has learned through one of the following products: 

  1. A 15-minute multimedia presentation on the influence that film has on the political views of the general population. The student is free to choose their own medium for the multimedia presentation. 
  2. A research paper on film’s political influence on the audience, to be submitted to a reputable print or online periodical. The work should be submitted in MLA format and adhere to traditional research expectations. The research paper should include an abstract, a works cited page, and a verified periodical submission document. 
  3. A 15-minute documentary that explains the student’s theories about the political influence of film. The documentary should be based on the films that the student studied and may use clips of the films to provide evidence about the student’s theories. 
  4. A 15-minute, one-act play. The plot of the play will center on the main character’s political views being influenced by film. The plot will use evidence from the research to support assertions about the effectiveness of film as a political influencer. The play should be performed for an audience or filmed for a later screening. The work must be accompanied by the written script and a cast list of characters. 

    The student will consider the following guiding questions when contemplating the presentation medium: 
    1. How does the presentation format for my product accentuate what I have learned? 
    2. How does the presentation format for my product illustrate my strengths? 
    3. How is the presentation format for my product an effective avenue of learning for my audience? 


C. Communication 

Each student will present the completed product option to an audience. The audience should be given time at the end of the presentation for questions and answers. The Q&A session should be unscripted in order to reflect student learning accurately. 


D. A completed project consists of: 

  1. A research proposal 
  2. Research ntoes
  3. A project portfolio with all pertinent research documents 
  4. The final product 

This unit may address the following TEKS.

110.31, English Language Arts and Reading, English I

110.31(b)(1)
Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it when reading and writing.
110.31(b)(2)
Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
110.31(b)(4)
Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of drama and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to explain how dramatic conventions (e.g., monologues, soliloquies, dramatic irony) enhance dramatic text.
110.31(b)(8)
Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Culture and History. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to explain the controlling idea and specific purpose of an expository text and distinguish the most important from the less important details that support the author's purpose.
110.31(b)(10)
Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Persuasive Text. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about persuasive text and provide evidence from text to support their analysis.
110.31(b)(12)
Reading/Media Literacy. Students use comprehension skills to analyze how words, images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts.
110.31(b)(13)
Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text.
110.31(b)(15)
Writing/Expository and Procedural Texts. Students write expository and procedural or work-related texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific purposes.
110.31(b)(17)
Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions. Students understand the function of and use the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity.
110.31(b)(20)
Research/Research Plan. Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them.
110.31(b)(21)
Research/Gathering Sources. Students determine, locate, and explore the full range of relevant sources addressing a research question and systematically record the information they gather.
110.31(b)(22)
Research/Synthesizing Information. Students clarify research questions and evaluate and synthesize collected information.
110.31(b)(23)
Research/Organizing and Presenting Ideas. Students organize and present their ideas and information according to the purpose of the research and their audience. Students are expected to synthesize the research into a written or an oral presentation that:
110.31(b)(24)
Listening and Speaking/Listening. Students will use comprehension skills to listen attentively to others in formal and informal settings. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity.
110.31(b)(25)
Listening and Speaking/Speaking. Students speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to give presentations using informal, formal, and technical language effectively to meet the needs of audience, purpose, and occasion, employing eye contact, speaking rate (e.g., pauses for effect), volume, enunciation, purposeful gestures, and conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively.

110.32, English Language Arts and Reading, English II

110.32(b)(1)
Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it when reading and writing.
110.32(b)(2)
Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
110.32(b)(4)
Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of drama and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to analyze how archetypes and motifs in drama affect the plot of plays.
110.32(b)(8)
Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Culture and History. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to analyze the controlling idea and specific purpose of a passage and the textual elements that support and elaborate it, including both the most important details and the less important details.
110.32(b)(10)
Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Persuasive Text. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about persuasive text and provide evidence from text to support their analysis.
110.32(b)(12)
Reading/Media Literacy. Students use comprehension skills to analyze how words, images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts.
110.32(b)(13)
Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text.
110.32(b)(15)
Writing/Expository and Procedural Texts. Students write expository and procedural or work-related texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific purposes.
110.32(b)(17)
Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions. Students understand the function of and use the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity.
110.32(b)(20)
Research/Research Plan. Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them.
110.32(b)(21)
Research/Gathering Sources. Students determine, locate, and explore the full range of relevant sources addressing a research question and systematically record the information they gather.
110.32(b)(22)
Research/Synthesizing Information. Students clarify research questions and evaluate and synthesize collected information.
110.32(b)(23)
Research/Organizing and Presenting Ideas. Students organize and present their ideas and information according to the purpose of the research and their audience. Students are expected to synthesize the research into a written or an oral presentation that:
110.32(b)(24)
Listening and Speaking/Listening. Students will use comprehension skills to listen attentively to others in formal and informal settings. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity.
110.32(b)(25)
Listening and Speaking/Speaking. Students speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to advance a coherent argument that incorporates a clear thesis and a logical progression of valid evidence from reliable sources and that employs eye contact, speaking rate (e.g., pauses for effect), volume, enunciation, purposeful gestures, and conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively.

110.33, English Language Arts and Reading, English III

110.33(b)(1)
Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it when reading and writing.
110.33(b)(2)
Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
110.33(b)(4)
Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of drama and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to analyze the themes and characteristics in different periods of modern American drama.
110.33(b)(8)
Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Culture and History. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to analyze how the style, tone, and diction of a text advance the author's purpose and perspective or stance.
110.33(b)(10)
Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Persuasive Text. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about persuasive text and provide evidence from text to support their analysis.
110.33(b)(12)
Reading/Media Literacy. Students use comprehension skills to analyze how words, images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts.
110.33(b)(13)
Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text.
110.33(b)(14)
Writing/Literary Texts. Students write literary texts to express their ideas and feelings about real or imagined people, events, and ideas. Students are responsible for at least two forms of literary writing.
110.33(b)(15)
Writing/Expository and Procedural Texts. Students write expository and procedural or work-related texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific purposes.
110.33(b)(17)
Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions. Students understand the function of and use the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity.
110.33(b)(20)
Research/Research Plan. Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them.
110.33(b)(21)
Research/Gathering Sources. Students determine, locate, and explore the full range of relevant sources addressing a research question and systematically record the information they gather.
110.33(b)(22)
Research/Synthesizing Information. Students clarify research questions and evaluate and synthesize collected information.
110.33(b)(23)
Research/Organizing and Presenting Ideas. Students organize and present their ideas and information according to the purpose of the research and their audience. Students are expected to synthesize the research into an extended written or oral presentation that:
110.33(b)(24)
Listening and Speaking/Listening. Students will use comprehension skills to listen attentively to others in formal and informal settings. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity.
110.33(b)(25)
Listening and Speaking/Speaking. Students speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to give a formal presentation that exhibits a logical structure, smooth transitions, accurate evidence, well-chosen details, and rhetorical devices, and that employs eye contact, speaking rate (e.g., pauses for effect), volume, enunciation, purposeful gestures, and conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively.

110.34, English Language Arts and Reading, English IV

110.34(b)(1)
Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it when reading and writing.
110.34(b)(2)
Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
110.34(b)(4)
Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Drama. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of drama and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to evaluate how the structure and elements of drama change in the works of British dramatists across literary periods.
110.34(b)(8)
Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Culture and History. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to analyze the consistency and clarity of the expression of the controlling idea and the ways in which the organizational and rhetorical patterns of text support or confound the author's meaning or purpose.
110.34(b)(10)
Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Persuasive Text. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about persuasive text and provide evidence from text to support their analysis.
110.34(b)(12)
Reading/Media Literacy. Students use comprehension skills to analyze how words, images, graphics, and sounds work together in various forms to impact meaning. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater depth in increasingly more complex texts.
110.34(b)(13)
Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text.
110.34(b)(15)
Writing/Expository and Procedural Texts. Students write expository and procedural or work-related texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific purposes.
110.34(b)(17)
Oral and Written Conventions/Conventions. Students understand the function of and use the conventions of academic language when speaking and writing. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity.
110.34(b)(20)
Research/Research Plan. Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them.
110.34(b)(21)
Research/Gathering Sources. Students determine, locate, and explore the full range of relevant sources addressing a research question and systematically record the information they gather.
110.34(b)(22)
Research/Synthesizing Information. Students clarify research questions and evaluate and synthesize collected information.
110.34(b)(23)
Research/Organizing and Presenting Ideas. Students organize and present their ideas and information according to the purpose of the research and their audience. Students are expected to synthesize the research into an extended written or oral presentation that:
110.34(b)(24)
Listening and Speaking/Listening. Students will use comprehension skills to listen attentively to others in formal and informal settings. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity.
110.34(b)(25)
Listening and Speaking/Speaking. Students speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to formulate sound arguments by using elements of classical speeches (e.g., introduction, first and second transitions, body, and conclusion), the art of persuasion, rhetorical devices, eye contact, speaking rate (e.g., pauses for effect), volume, enunciation, purposeful gestures, and conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively.

113.44, United States Government

113.44(c)(2)
History. The student understands the roles played by individuals, political parties, interest groups, and the media in the U.S. political system, past and present.
113.44(c)(3)
Geography. The student understands how geography can influence U.S. political divisions and policies.

This unit may address the following Texas College and Career Readiness Standards.

Social Studies:

SS.I.B.3
 Analyze causes and effects of major political, economic, and social changes in U.S. and world history.
SS.I.D.1
 Identify and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different economic systems.
SS.I.D.2
 Analyze the basic functions and structures of international economics.
SS.I.E.1
 Identify different social groups (e.g., clubs, religious organizations) and examine how they form and how and why they sustain themselves.
SS.I.E.2
 Define the concept of socialization and analyze the role socialization plays in human development and behavior.
SS.I.E.3
 Analyze how social institutions (e.g., marriage, family, churches, schools) function and meet the needs of society.
SS.I.E.4
 Identify and evaluate the sources and consequences of social conflict.
SS.I.F.1
 Use a variety of research and analytical tools to explore questions or issues thoroughly and fairly.
SS.I.F.2
 Analyze ethical issues in historical, cultural, and social contexts.
SS.II.A.1
 Define a "multicultural society" and consider both the positive and negative qualities of multiculturalism.
SS.II.A.2
 Evaluate the experiences and contributions of diverse groups to multicultural societies.
SS.II.B.1
 Explain and evaluate the concepts of race, ethnicity, and nationalism.
SS.II.B.2
 Explain and evaluate the concept of gender.
SS.II.B.3
 Analyze diverse religious concepts, structures, and institutions around the world.
SS.II.B.4
 Evaluate how major philosophical and intellectual concepts influence human behavior or identity.
SS.II.B.5
 Explain the concepts of socioeconomic status and stratification.
SS.II.B.6
 Analyze how individual and group identities are established and change over time.
SS.IV.A.1
 Identify and analyze the main idea(s) and point(s)-of-view in sources.
SS.IV.A.2
 Situate an informational source in its appropriate contexts (contemporary, historical, cultural).
SS.IV.A.3
 Evaluate sources from multiple perspectives.
SS.IV.A.4
 Understand the differences between a primary and secondary source and use each appropriately to conduct research and construct arguments.
SS.IV.A.5
 Read narrative texts critically.
SS.IV.A.6
 Read research data critically.
SS.IV.B.1
 Use established research methodologies.
SS.IV.B.2
 Explain how historians and other social scientists develop new and competing views of past phenomena.
SS.IV.B.3
 Gather, organize, and display the results of data and research.
SS.IV.B.4
 Identify and collect sources.
SS.IV.C.1
 Understand and interpret presentations (e.g., speeches, lectures, informal presentations) critically.
SS.IV.D.1
 Construct a thesis that is supported by evidence.
SS.IV.D.2
 Recognize and evaluate counter-arguments.
SS.V.A.1
 Use appropriate oral communication techniques depending on the context or nature of the interaction.
SS.V.A.2
 Use conventions of standard written English.
SS.V.B.1
 Attribute ideas and information to source materials and authors.

English Language Arts:

ELA.I.A.5
Edit writing for audience, purpose, context, and style, assuring that it conforms to Standard American English, when appropriate.
ELA.I.A.4
Review feedback and revise each draft by organizing it more logically and fluidly, refining key ideas, and using language more precisely and effectively.
ELA.I.A.2
Generate ideas, gather information, and manage evidence relevant to the topic and purpose.
ELA.I.A.1
Determine effective approaches, genres, rhetorical techniques, and media that demonstrate understanding of the writer’s purpose and audience.
ELA.I.A.3
Evaluate relevance, quality, sufficiency, and depth of preliminary ideas and information; organize material generated; and formulate a thesis or purpose statement.
ELA.II.A.8
Identify, analyze, and evaluate similarities and differences in how multiple texts present information, argue a position, or relate a theme.
ELA.II.A.5
Analyze and evaluate implicit and explicit arguments in a variety of texts for the quality and coherence of evidence and reasoning.
ELA.II.A.4
Make evidence-based inferences about a text’s meaning, intent, and values.
ELA.II.A.1
Use effective reading strategies to determine a written work’s purpose and intended audience.
ELA.II.A.2
Use text features to form an overview of content and to locate information.
ELA.II.A.3
Identify explicit and implicit textual information including main ideas and author’s purpose.
ELA.III.A.5
Plan and deliver focused, coherent presentations that convey clear and distinct perspectives and demonstrate sound reasoning.
ELA.III.A.4
Adjust delivery, vocabulary, and length of message for particular audiences, purposes, and contexts.
ELA.III.A.2
Engage in reasoned dialogue, including with people who have different perspectives.
ELA.III.A.3
Understand how style, register, and content of spoken language vary in different contexts and influence the listener’s understanding.
ELA.IV.A.5
Recognize fillers, intentional pauses, and placeholders in speech (e.g., um) and make inferences in context.
ELA.IV.A.4
Comprehend detailed instructions, explanations, and directions in a range of contexts (e.g., specialized contexts such as workplace procedures and operating instructions).
ELA.IV.A.2
Listen critically and respond appropriately.
ELA.IV.A.1
Use a variety of active listening strategies to enhance comprehension.
ELA.IV.A.3
Develop an awareness of rhetorical and stylistic choices used to convey a message.
ELA.V.C.1
Integrate and organize material effectively.
ELA.V.C.3
Follow relevant rules governing attribution.
ELA.V.C.2
Use and attribute source material ethically.
ELA.V.B.3
Assess the relevance and credibility of sources.
ELA.V.B.1
Explore and collect a range of potential sources.
ELA.V.A.1
Articulate and investigate research questions.
ELA.V.A.2
Explore and refine a research topic.
ELA.V.A.3
Devise a plan for completing work on time.
ELA.V.B.2
Distinguish between and among primary and secondary sources.
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