Reel Diversity

«Reel Diversity has solidified Brian C. Johnson’s reputation as one of the leading interdisciplinary scholars in the fields of diversity, media literacy, and film studies. Johnson offers a refreshing way to look at diversity and social justice through the critical analysis of contemporary film. A must-read for new and experienced diversity educators.»
(James Felton, Chief Diversity Officer, Anne Arundel Community College)

«…[T]his book is an excellent resource for educators, including EFL/ESL professionals, who are aware of and sensitive to diversity issues or want to become so. It not only illuminates the more subliminal messages projected through popular films, it also offers concrete strategies for challenging those messages in a classroom setting.»
(Rosemary Chipley, Independent Educator)

«Reel Diversity points to the idea that in classrooms that value diversity, cultural identities need to be affirmed, ethnocentric assumptions need to be challenged, and we need avoid the blame-game or trying to be politically correct. Political correctness is a form of passive aggressiveness and conflict avoidance, according to Johnson, that leaves unspoken misconceptions and biases to breed intolerance and hate.»
(Yvette Prinsloo Franklin, in «(Un)Packing Your Backpack:
Educational Philosophy, Positionality, and Pedagogy»)

«Reel Diversity has been a valuable resource in my design of a course of the same name for high school students. I utilize this sourcebook to supplement my social justice curriculum with lexicon, mini-lessons, and feature film clips to illustrate diversity concepts and media literacy. This book is perfect for beginners and experts alike as it breathes new life into the diversity curriculum by introducing unique ways of using film as text.»
(Shanelle Henry-Robinson, Director of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, Friends Academy, Locust Valley, New York)

«No diversity educator should ever be without Reel Diversity. Reel Diversity provides a practical tool for educators and trainers to engage students and professionals in a dialogue about social justice issues through the use of film. Reel Diversity provides a valuable tool for novice and advanced diversity educators to inspire even those most resistant to understand the need for diversity education.»
(Tchet Dereic Dorman, President, Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Association for Multicultural Education)

«In the general education course that is taught at SUNY Plattsburgh (which also serves as a student leadership and faculty professional development opportunity) Examining Diversity Through Film (EDTF), students are challenged every class to critically as well as creatively link two quotes from each assigned reading to the context of the film clips seen in the last class meeting. In class every day students are randomly called upon to share their chosen quotes knowing that they must articulate the connection between what they read for homework with what they saw in class. This assignment serves multiple purposes. It allows everyone to share in the intellectual diversity that is abundant in every classroom, though not always on display. It forces students to have to really engage the subject matter, pay close attention to the film clips, and them creatively marry two disparate pieces, which is easier written here than actually done, initially. Lastly, this approach of framing film clips with quotes, or framing quotes with references to film excerpts, better enables students to retain the lesson learned since they are provoked into considering possibilities that aren’t necessarily a given. Reel Diversity’s contribution to EDTF transcends its invaluable suggestions for developing a diversity course, but