Description

Here’s what you need to do:
• Watch the film 12 Angry Men. The link to the movie can be found here:
https://www.publicdomainmoviess.com/movie/309-12-angry-men
• Please comment on one or more of the following topics:

1. Negotiating and Managing Conflict
   § For ex: What kinds of negotiating styles are used by the members of the jury? What do you observe and
   how are the behaviors you see in the film connected to our V&B textbook?
   § For ex: Setting the stage for productive negotiations — Check this out:
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHhPh5aKG0U&feature=youtu.be. How about the nuances of
   proximity in the film? What is the body language and non-verbal communication that you observed in the
   movie and how does it impact the character’s negotiating with each other and the conflict(s) that arise?
2. Approaches to Problem-Solving
   § For ex: How did the use of schemas & stereotypes influence the jurors’ thinking?
3. The Relationship between Conflict and Communication
   § For ex: Conflict can be good for a group as “several researchers have discovered that conflict is an
   important, indeed useful, part of group communication” (Beebe and Masterson 152).
4. The Role of Group Dynamics
   § For ex: How do the jurors’ intra/interpersonal communications, beliefs, etc. impact the way they view
   evidence and affect the outcome in the Twelve Angry Men film?
   § For ex: The ability of group members to shape group behaviors can greatly influence collective
   outcomes; however, the skills associated with correctly recognizing behaviors in situ and responding
   appropriately to them on a real-time basis
5. Decision-making (communication in public settings)
   § For ex: What procedures were used in the film to govern who spoke? Were the rule for speaking
   productive or counter-productive? What voting procedures were used in the film to make decisions?
   What over-arching rules were there for decision making? How did decision-making rules and procedures
   affect the outcome?
   § For ex: What role did reasoning and evidence play in the decision process? Were those who claimed to
   be basing their decision on “facts” always the most committed to the rational process? Do you think the
   demographic composition of the jury affected the why it discussed the case and the outcome it reached?
   How?
   ** In short, take one or more of these topics and apply an analysis of this movie from the lens of an intercultural
   communicator (that’s you!). Ground your analysis of the film’s decision-making process, the group dynamics, and/
   or the characters in the key concepts from our course this semester. **