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The Prism of Hollywood: Depictions of Racial Diversity in College Films

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Anti-Intellectual Representations of American Colleges and Universities

Part of the book series: Higher Education and Society ((HES))

Abstract

Despite press releases and policies to the contrary, both Hollywood and higher education maintain tenuous relationships with issues and representations of racial diversity. This chapter examines how 16 films between 1978 and 2014 present college students of color. This analysis discovers that while included in campus life, racially diverse students are often marginalized, trivialized, and patronized in the selected films.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA

    Saran Donahoo

  2. University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, USA

    Tamara Yakaboski

Authors
  1. Saran Donahoo
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  2. Tamara Yakaboski
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, USA

    Barbara F. Tobolowsky

  2. University of Redlands, Redlands, California, USA

    Pauline J. Reynolds

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Donahoo, S., Yakaboski, T. (2017). The Prism of Hollywood: Depictions of Racial Diversity in College Films. In: Tobolowsky, B., Reynolds, P. (eds) Anti-Intellectual Representations of American Colleges and Universities. Higher Education and Society. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57004-8_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57004-8_5

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-57003-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-57004-8

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