The Use of Family Communication in Movies

Paper Instructions This assignment will be submitted via blackboard. Students will watch a movie related to family communication and analyze it using material and concepts from class. After viewing one of the film options (your choices are On Golden Pond, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, Parenthood, or The Kids Are Alright). The paper must have an introduction with clear thesis statement, organized body with smooth transitions, conclusion, and reference page. The paper must be typed, double-spaced, and have a cover page (not included in the 3-4 page minimum of narrative). Movie Analysis Paper Students will watch a movie related to family communication and analyze it using material and concepts from class. After viewing one of the film options* (On Golden Pond, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, Parenthood, or The Kids Are Alright**), students are asked to write a 3-4 page analysis of the movie as it relates to course content. The paper must be in APA format and have an introduction with clear thesis statement, organized body with smooth transitions, conclusion, and reference page. The paper must be typed, double-spaced, and have a cover page (not included in the 3-4 page minimum of narrative). Here are some questions to assist you with your analysis. These are just to guide you. Please do not feel limited to discuss all of these or only these topics in your analysis. 1. What stories or narratives were told/shared in the family and how do these stories represent the supporting functions of a family (i.e- family images, themes, boundaries, biosocial issues)? 2. In what way do you see a specific theory apply to the family? (i.e- dialectical theory, systems, theory etc.) 3. Where did the family fall on the cohesion-adaptability axis? What evidence do you have to support your placement? 4. What are the communication patterns of the family in the film? 5. Analyze the family roles you witness in the film and the functions of each. 6. What relational currencies are exhibited in the film and what meaning can be assigned to each of them? 7. How is power distributed in this family, and what evidence do you have to support your claim? 8. What destructive and constructive conflict strategies were utilized by the characters? 9. How does this family deal with an unpredictable stress? It is important to discuss and describe what the family communication topic is. Be sure to use additional resources (at least two) in this process of description and citation. From there, you explain how the course concept is applied in the movie. This assignment is not a movie summary, but rather an explanation of certain course topics as they apply to various scenes in the movie