Brian C. Johnson – författare

The first edition of Reel Diversity: A Teacher’s Sourcebook won the 2009 Phillip C. Chinn Book Award of the National Association for Multicultural Education. This revised edition is an updated resource guide for educators in secondary and university classrooms who desire to integrate mainstream and independent films into their instructional content about diversity and social justice. The book has transformed difficult dialogues in classrooms around the country by helping educators identify full-length films and shorter film clips to enhance, energize, and motivate student learning.Accessible and practical for both novice and advanced educators, the book provides a lexicon of twenty-five definitions that teachers and learners should understand about difference, awareness, and power. Assignments, classroom activities, and lecture notes highlight these definitions in ways that deeply impact students’ multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills. Reel Diversity invites cross-cultural dialogue about films’ mixed messages and how they enforce and reinforce cultural values. Students will emerge with a greater understanding of the educational value of this entertainment medium. The book is perfect for courses in mass media, film studies, American studies, mass communication, and media literacy.

For the past decade or more, few Hollywood stars have experienced a more meteoric rise than Tyler Perry. As much as he is lauded by fans, Perry is panned by cultural critics who reject his work as overtly preachy and rife with racially stereotypical characterizations and controversial themes. This book explores the vast chasm between his fans’ adoration and the critical reception of his work: while some argue that Perry’s brand of «blackness» is little more than buffoonery, others claim he offers representations that are missing in entertainment choices, especially among niche audiences. He is applauded by some for offering films and television shows that are «good entertainment», while others label his work trashy. He can be seen either as an oracle whose morality plays provide a gospel message of family healing, or as an actor with a misaligned worldview. This book asks: what are we to do with the «problem» of Tyler Perry?

For the past decade or more, few Hollywood stars have experienced a more meteoric rise than Tyler Perry. As much as he is lauded by fans, Perry is panned by cultural critics who reject his work as overtly preachy and rife with racially stereotypical characterizations and controversial themes. This book explores the vast chasm between his fans’ adoration and the critical reception of his work: while some argue that Perry’s brand of «blackness» is little more than buffoonery, others claim he offers representations that are missing in entertainment choices, especially among niche audiences. He is applauded by some for offering films and television shows that are «good entertainment», while others label his work trashy. He can be seen either as an oracle whose morality plays provide a gospel message of family healing, or as an actor with a misaligned worldview. This book asks: what are we to do with the «problem» of Tyler Perry?

Talk with students about bullying in their schools/communities and three themes are likely to emerge: a) there’s nothing anyone can do about it, b) bullying is necessary as it builds character, and c) there needs to be more educational programming in the schools designed to curb bullying behavior.Contrast those sentiments with the helplessness teachers and administrators feel. Many will tell you that current state and federal guidelines tie their hands until after an incident occurs. In other words, a student must get hurt before the school is able to do anything. Reel Big Bullies is designed for regular anti-bullying campaigns and will not cost struggling districts thousands of dollars to implement as it provides teachers with educational resources to complement regular instruction in classrooms.Using clips from Hollywood blockbusters like Knocked Up, The Emperor’s New Groove, The Benchwarmers and others, Reel Big Bullies is designed to help students, administrators, teachers and counselors create a safer school environment for all students. It is also intended to help all students understand the terrible toll bullying can take on its targets, and to encourage students to stand up for their classmates who are being bullied.The book’s framework follows the three themes above and discusses the pertinent legal and policy decisions affecting educational intervention. With the already busy (overwhelmed) teacher in mind, we describe nearly 200 film clips teachers can show in class to promote and spark discussions with students in middle and high schools.