On this page, we also have a space for discussion of the films that we will see in class this semester. Today, we will watch a portion of a National Geographic documentary, The Human Family Tree. Please watch the rest of the documentary at home over the weekend.
https://archive.org/details/TheHumanFamilyTree-2009
The documentary provides a deep historical perspective on the relationship of migration to the construction of race and ethnicity. I will provide viewing questions in class. (You can also find copies in Blackboard in the Course Document tab.) The documentary showcases a study of human DNA, The Genographic Project. You can find more information by clicking on the link.
Just to get us up and running for the semester, I would like each of you to offer a brief comment on the documentary. It does not need to be more than a sentence or two, but feel free to write more. It can be a general reaction to the film. You can also offer a comment on what you find most surprising or interesting about the film . Or maybe a topic that was raised that you would like to know more about….
One of my first reactions to watching the film, was curiosity regarding my own ancestry. …Did any of you have the same reaction? Was there anything you thought surprising in the film?
We will discuss on Monday two important aspects of the documentary. The first is migration as a human activity. The second is the relationship of migration to race.
If you don’t comment in class, please comment on this blog.
