Teaching History with Film

Strategies for Secondary Social Studies

Alan S. Marcus, Scott Alan Metzger, Richard J. Paxton, Jeremy D. Stoddard

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781351137690
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Teaching Social Science

Teaching History with Film provides a fresh, engaging, and clear overview of teaching with film to effectively enhance social studies instruction. Using cases of experienced teachers to illustrate accomplished history teaching through movies, this text provides pre- and in-service teachers with ideas for implementing film-based lessons in their own classrooms and offers a deeper understanding of the thorny issues involved in using film to teach history. The second edition is completely revised and updated including: two entirely new case studies; a new chapter focusing on using international film and incorporating a more global view in the classroom; and additional material on using film to tackle difficult and controversial issues; as well as updates to all of the cases.

Each section of the book focuses on how teachers can effectively support the development of students' historical film literacy through topics such as using film to develop interpretive skills, to explore controversial issues, and to develop historical empathy. By developing the skills students need to think critically about the past or what they think they know about history, the lessons in this book illustrate how to harness the pedagogical power of film to provide the tools necessary for rigorous inquiry and democratic citizenship.

Special features include:

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• "Reflection on the Case, " following each chapter, analyzing and discussing the strengths and limitations of the teacher's approach as well as providing strategies for using and choosing films specific to the educational outcome

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• Sample unit outlines, descriptions of class texts and films, worksheets, essay questions, viewer guides, and exercises for the classroom throughout

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• Discussion of the practical considerations facing classroom teachers, including juggling time restraints, issues of parental permission, and meeting standards

Part I
Using Film to Teach History

Chapter 1
Introduction

Figure 1.1 Dunkirk (2017). British troops hold out for evacuation from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940.

Visit any school in the United States—and many other countries thanks to the growth of globalized media and rapidly expanding digital infrastructure—and there is very likely to be at least one teacher showing a movie, documentary film, television episode, or internet video about or set in the past. Film media are some of the most prominent teaching resources in the history classroom (Donnelly, 2014; Marcus & Stoddard, 2007; Russell, 2012). It is not only in school that children and teenagers encounter screen versions of history. Young people today are immersed in visual representations of the past not only in movies or television but also increasingly on computer screens, portable tablets, and smartphones. In fact, we would not be the first to suggest that a great deal of what students, and perhaps the general public, “know” about the past comes not from textbooks or teachers but from “Hollywood” movies (Briley, 2002; Pultorak, 1992; Wineburg, 2000).

Since the first edition of this book was published, academic interest in historically oriented media and their implications for education has grown considerably (Paxton & Marcus, 2018; Stoddard & Marcus, 2017). So too has the media landscape (Stoddard, 2018). Once relatively rare, historical dramatic television series have proliferated throughout the 2010s on public television (PBS/BBC) and cable networks (notably AMC and even the History Channel) and provide interesting possibilities for history education (Metzger, 2017). Additionally, an increasing number of videogames—on personal computers, gaming consoles, and even smartphone apps—enable playing in the historical past (Metzger & Paxton, 2016). In the future, and some places even now, it may not be uncommon to see videogames about history being played or viewed in the classroom (Wright-Maley, Lee, & Friedman, 2018).

While newer media forms are expanding, cinematic film (whether at cinemas or on smaller screens) still has the highest profile. Hollywood—and increasingly global studios (not just in Europe but also India, Japan, South Korea, and China)—release many new feature films about historical events or people every year. Movies on traditional topics—such as Hacksaw Ridge (2016) and Dunkirk (2017), set in World War II; The Eagle (2011) and Pompeii (2014), set in ancient Rome; Son of God (2014) and Risen (2016), set in the time of Jesus; Ironclad (2011), set in medieval Europe; and Lincoln (2012), set in the U.S. Civil War—have remained plentiful (if uneven in quality) in recent years, but diversity is increasing too. Feature releases have devoted attention to historically marginalized perspectives in ways that empower these individuals or groups. For instance, films include portrayals of resistance on the part of enslaved African-Americans (12 Years a Slave [2013] and Birth of a Nation [2016]), political activism for women’s equality (Suffragettes [2015]), and contributions to science by gay individuals (The Imitation Game [2014]) and African-American women (Hidden Figures [2016]). “Blockbuster” history movies are often highly influential, seen and talked about by the largest number of people. These films now enjoy unprecedented “shelf life” in popular culture thanks to being available on-demand from cable/satellite providers or in the listings of digital streaming services such as Netflix.

While the scope of historically oriented media is increasing, feature films continue to hold a major cultural presence and merit attention. The goal of this book was and remains to provide educators with models that illustrate powerful history teaching using motion pictures. These cases of real practice—close descriptions of teachers practicing their craft along with reproductions of supporting materials—are designed to provide educators with ideas and skills for implementing effective film-based lessons. They are also presented to give teachers a deeper understanding of the thorny issues involved in using film to teach history. We hope these stories of working teachers and their students will encourage readers to consider how movies color the way people think about the past. Furthermore, we hope these lessons can be adapted and tailored to many other classrooms in ways that will make students think deeply about movies not just as entertainment but as historical accounts and interpretations to be examined, questioned, and discussed.

This book aims to provide educators with helpful ideas inspired by actual practice. All four authors are former classroom teachers who now work as educational researchers and teacher educators training the next generation of social studies teachers. Our fieldwork with classroom teachers drew us to examine two questions: (1) Why use history movies in the classroom? (2) How can history movies be used effectively in the classroom? The examples described in the chapters that follow will explore these issues in depth. But, before turning to these real-world examples, it is worth the time to consider some background behind these important questions.

Background on Film and History Education

Teachers have long been comfortable using certain kinds of films in the history classroom. A perennial favorite is the historical documentary film. Broadcast outlets such as PBS and the BBC, and cable networks such as the Discovery Channel and History Channel, have aired thousands of titles. These, and many other new historical documentaries, are catalogued and made available by digital streaming services, and some are uploaded directly to the Web (frequently to YouTube) by their producers. Often less than an hour in length and available affordably on DVD or freely online, documentary films are a natural fit for social studies teachers. For almost any topic that needs to be covered in a history classroom, there is a documentary out there that narrates—sometimes even dramatizes—the topic in detail. Some documentaries are produced specifically with an educational market in mind, though many have mainstream release to a popular mass audience. They can readily be used in the classroom much in the same way any “document” can be used to cover information. Certainly there are tensions and concerns revolving around the educational impact of documentary videos. Popular documentaries favor certain topics such as wars, sensationalized historical events, and famous figures over others that may be less well known but more challenging. Documentaries can take on the veneer of neutral objectivity even though they are constructed and interpretive, and young people may uncritically accept authoritative documentaries in the same light as their unquestioned textbooks (Marcus & Stoddard, 2009; Paxton, 1999; Stoddard, 2009). Nonetheless, the narrative, factual structure of most documentary videos may explain why so many teachers use them in the classroom easily and comfortably.

By contrast, historical feature films—full-length commercial movies set in the past, made for a popular audience, and marketed through the mass media—can give many teachers pause. On the one hand, children and especially teenagers are frequently quite familiar with “Hollywood” movies and may be excited to watch a big-budget epic starring popular celebrities with impressive sets, costumes, and special effects. Teachers may be drawn to bringing movies into their lessons as a way to tap into youth popular culture and increase student attention and motivation. On the other hand, history movies are explicitly dramatized and fictionalized accounts of the past. Teachers may be comfortable trusting the factual accuracy of documentary videos, though critical caution is warranted given the proliferation of producers whose motivation may be more ideological than educational. Accuracy is an even more problematic issue for feature films. Almost all people recognize that Hollywood movies “make things up” about the past, but recognizing exactly which parts are invented and which are accurate can be quite difficult. Investigating the accuracy of a history movie can require expert subject-matter knowledge and many hours of study. As a result, showing a history movie in the classroom can seem a little ambiguous or intimidating to teachers. Exactly what knowledge are the students supposed to glean from watching the movie? How are they supposed to think or feel about the past after watching it? What if something in the movie inspires students to ask really hard questions to which the teacher might not know the answer?

Factual accuracy is not the only issue at stake, of course. There is a host of very practical concerns. Movies can be long and require a great deal of class time. Saving time by showing select short clips requires the teacher to carefully watch the film in advance to pick out which clips to use. Movies often contain objectionable violence, language, and sexual content. As if these aren’t enough, there are also serious intellectual and academic concerns. If “doing” history should involve more than just passively watching a story about the past, what should students do before, during, and after a movie to tap into its educational value? If movies tell only one “side” of a complex historical event or issue, what should teachers do to help students recognize multiple perspectives (particularly those that might be missing)? If most movies contain interpretive or moral messages about the past, how should teachers get students to reflect on the meaning of the film? However, these concerns are problems only when they are ignored or neglected. When handled thoughtfully and skillfully, these questions can become useful means for inspiring powerful historical thinking in the classroom. In Chapter 2 we specifically address these issues and offer strategies for dealing with the challenges of teaching with film.

Why Use History Movies?

Extraordinary claims have been made about the power of motion pictures to teach history—that movies have the capacity to lift students to “a higher level of inquiry” (Sabato, 1992, p. 84), to “preserve details of life that may not be communicated or appreciated in writing” (Johnson & Vargas, 1994, p. 109), and to help history “come alive to students” (Dobbs, 1987, p. 16). Numerous books and articles already advocate the use of feature films in the history classroom (Briley, 2002; Kraig, 1983; Maynard, 1971; Paris, 1997; Toplin, 2002). Indeed, the power of movies to motivate student learning about history shouldn’t be underestimated. Movies, whether watched on the big screen or on smaller digital screens, are part of youth culture. Big-budget videogame releases often contain extensive cinematic elements, such as movie-like, computer-animated “cut scenes” (that sometimes intentionally echo particular cinematic appearances or even “tie in” to specific films). Students are exposed to motion pictures far beyond the walls of their schools and even before formal schooling begins. Students often bring to class personal interest in, and sometimes prior knowledge about, movies set in the past. Young people may get more excited about lessons using popular media than about instruction using only official school materials such as textbooks, primary documents, or worksheets. Scholarship on history education suggests that movies have considerable potential to contribute to a variety of competencies of historical literacy (Marcus, 2005; Metzger, 2007b).

In their storytelling role movies can help students recognize and analyze different narratives about the past and examine the constructed nature of historical interpretations—a key component of effective historical thinking. Teachers accomplished in film-based instruction take advantage of movies as widely viewed historical “documents” not only to teach about a particular time period or event but also to teach historical film literacy—that is, skills and dispositions that empower students to look at media set in the past critically as historical documents, not just entertainment (Marcus, 2005, 2007; Metzger & Paxton, 2016; Stoddard, 2018).

Although movies can serve as motivating tools for history teaching, they also hold potential risks (Metzger, 2005, 2007a, 2012; Metzger & Suh, 2008). Movies frequently portray imagined characters and events right next to or interspersed among real historical people and events. Consider the blockbuster film The Patriot (2000), which climaxes in a dramatic battle incorporating some authentic elements from the actual battles at Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse and a fictionalized hero (played by Mel Gibson) alongside real historical figures such as Nathanael Greene and Lord Cornwallis. Many movies engage in presentism—a mode of historical thought in which present-day ideas and attitudes are anachronistically introduced into depictions of the past or are used to evaluate or judge what happened in the past. For example, Kingdom of Heaven (2005), set during the Crusades, features a religiously tolerant hero (played by Orlando Bloom) who proclaims before the battle over Jerusalem that neither Christians, Jews, nor Muslims have sole right to the Holy Land—an attitude perfectly comfortable to modern-day audiences but utterly alien to medieval mentalities. Teachers may become overwhelmed by the difficulty of sorting out these kinds of complex issues and may settle for using movies in rather uncritical ways. Difficult or controversial issues raised by movies may be glossed over or ignored altogether.

Underlying all these difficulties is the unavoidable reality that history movies are their own kind of historical document (Rosenstone, 2002, 2004; Toplin, 1996). Perhaps they are more akin to historical-fiction novels than scholarly works, but even this comparison sells short the diversity of history movies. Many play fast and loose with the historical record, for instance the Roman epic Gladiator (2000). Others may pack in dense historical information to appeal to specialist viewers at the risk of confusing non-specialists, such as the World War II tank movie Fury (2014). Yet others try for accuracy about known details while using imagination to fill in unknown blanks or uncertain motivations about historical figures or events, such as Marie Antoinette (2006), Alexander (2004), or Free State of Jones (2016). Some history movies have a message to convey and adapt or fictionalize the past to support that tale, such as The Last Samurai (2003), which portrays the final rebellion of Japanese samurai as a critique of the hollowness of Western culture and capitalism. All of these movies to different degrees blend authentic and imagined elements, realism and creativity, to produce a special mode of historical storytelling (Rosenstone, 1995; Toplin, 2002, 2007).

Hazards abound for educators who presume that history movies are only entertainment or that they can be used just to “cover” historical facts. Even movies that strive to be historically accurate can’t include everything: Dunkirk (2017) is full of technical information about the fighting on and evacuation from the beaches, but French troops are hardly included and global troops from the British Empire, notably India, are not included at all (see Figure 1.1). Movies by themselves don’t comprehensively teach historical topics; they depict particular parts and perspectives. Despite these undoubted challenges, we believe that the promise of film media in the history classroom outweighs the drawbacks. This book aims to help teachers overcome potential problems by offering strategies informed by research on history teaching and learning and drawn from effective classroom practice.

How Can History Movies Be Used?

There seems to be little doubt that film is among the most powerful art forms developed in the 20th century, with considerable influence over many forms of thought, including historical. Given this influence, it is reasonable and appropriate for social studies teachers to want to use movies to motivate and facilitate student learning. More people encounter history through movies than through any other form, including textbooks. Even a “flop” Hollywood history movie is seen by more people than those who read all but the most successful historical books. Consider Disney’s 2004 remake of The Alamo, which had a production budget of more than $100 million but grossed barely over $20 million at the box office. This historically detailed film was considered a disastrous failure in the film industry, yet based on the average ticket price at the time, more than 3 million people saw The Alamo in theaters and more have seen it since—at home or in school—on DVD or cable/satellite television (where it still airs on movie and specialty channels). Educators are deceiving themselves if they think history movies are of trivial importance. Teachers who bring history movies into the classroom recognize that these films are widely influential in informing how people today think about the past.

So how can history teachers use movies in critical and powerful ways? One important notion cuts across all considerations of how movies can be used effectively for educational ends: Films function as “texts” that can be analyzed, questioned, and discussed just like any other kind of historical document. Just because the “vocabulary” of film is audio-visual rather than print-based doesn’t make movies less of a human statement of meaning with social, cultural, and political messages open to interpretation and interrogation.

In the memorable phrase of John O’Connor, films are “moving image documents” that can be examined for the content they contain, the forces behind their production, and the reception they received in the broader culture (O’Connor, 2007). Some films, like most textbooks, obscure authorship and make it seem as if there is no one person behind the message. However, many more films trumpet their director. For example, Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese, and Spike Lee are makers of history movies whose role as director is often as well known as the stars of their pictures. A director may or may not be involved in writing the screenplay but still exerts influence over how the script is enacted. Some both write and direct a film, as Sofia Coppola did for Marie Antoinette (2006) and Christopher Nolan for Dunkirk (2017). This is not to say that all film-based history lessons must focus attention on directors and writers, but the first step to historical film literacy is to help young people recognize that movies are made by people for particular reasons and that the messages they contain are neither neutral nor accidental.

In other words, just like print novels or stories, movies have purposes (intentions) and themes (messages). Historical film literacy revolves around empowering young people to recognize, desc...