Choose any two forms of media (films, TV series, Netfilx series, Hulu series, YouTube channel, etc.) that deal with mental illness/psychological disorders. Your programs must have significant character development (no documentaries). Thoroughly describe the plots, main characters, and settings of both programs (approximately 2 – 3 paragraphs for each program).
2. Describe the target audiences (gender, age range, ethnicity, etc.) of your programs.
3. From your perspective: why do the majority of people in modern American society primarily actively gravitate towards fictional characters from movies and television shows for their role models; rather than looking up towards “real-life” teachers, business leaders, professional athletes, celebrities, and politicians as role models?
4. You will choose ONE main character from each program (a total of TWO characters). This will be an opportunity for you to conduct a personality analysis of your main characters in any method that you see fit (essay format, word cloud, graphs, charts, Photoshop image, etc). Please view the sample projects for ideas (located in Modules and FILES). You may also come up with your own unique method of describing the personalities of your main characters, no restrictions!
5. As a child/adolescent, did you have any movie role models while growing up? As an adult, do you ever find yourself referencing these role models when dealing with stressful times in your life?
6. Clearly describe situations in your programs that illustrate thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are consistent with mental illness. From your perspective, do you feel your main characters are “aware” of that they may be suffering from mental illness? Give specific examples.
7. Do your movies portray a realistic representation of how to resolve simple or complex conflicts that arise from poor communication patterns, monetary issues, substance abuse, or involvement in toxic romantic relationships?
8. As an adult: do you believe your perspectives on life has been positively or negatively influenced as a result of a lifetime of media influence?
9. If many college students become aware that they may be going through the early stages of mental illness as a result of media influence (public service announcements, films, music, photography, etc.); why are the majority of them resistant to actively seeking out medical treatment and/or counseling services?