Business Performance Group

In the summers of 2010 and 2011, director Lee Mun Wah (widely-recognized for films The Color of Fear and Last Chance for Eden) brought together 11 college students from around the country to discuss the issue of diversity.

As they share their stories and different life experiences with each other, they discover and expose the complexity and anguish that accompany those experiences, while trying to be understood and validated in a predominantly white environment. Their stories are starkly emotional and the issues they provoke are equally perplexing, begging to be heard and confronted.

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Unique about this film series, compared to his other films, is its customization for educators who have limited time in their classrooms, yet still seek stimulating and exciting classroom discussions and increased diversity awareness.

In If These Halls Could Talk, Lee Mun Wah demonstrates:

• how to create a sense of community in the classroom
• how students can get to know each other more personally
• how classroom check-ins can promote a deeper understanding and friendship with one another
• how to deepen a classroom discussion within minutes
• how to mediate conflicts between students

The new film series is divided into themes, so that any section can be taken out and used for classroom discussions. There are time codes for each theme, so that you can adapt how much time you want for viewing and how much time you want left over for classroom discussion and/or individual assignments.

Key Training Points:

• If our halls could talk, what would they say about the alarming rates of students of color leaving our colleges?
• What would they say are some of the causes for their departures?
• What would our students say it is like to be a minority student at a predominantly white campus?
• Are faculties and staff prepared for this influx of students from different backgrounds?
• When conflicts arise around diversity issues on the campus and in the classroom, are administrators and teachers prepared to handle them?
• What are some of the solutions needed to confront these problems?

Product type: DVD

Video length: 100 Minutes

Available languages: English