Hunter College SOC 101

Jessie Daniels, Ph.D. Spring, 2009

Worksheet for VIDEO: “Heart of the Game”

(Instructor’s Copy – 97 minutes)

Background. This film by Ward Serrill (narrated by Ludacris) follows the Roosevelt Roughriders girls' basketball team in Seattle, Washington for six seasons. Originally, the focus of the film was supposed to be Coach Bill Resler and he does figure prominently in the film. In many ways, the central – and more compelling - figure in the film is a young woman named Darnellia Russell, one of the few African American girls on the team. Russell is hoping to use a basketball scholarship to enable her to be the first in her family to get a college education. Her off-court struggles eventually threaten her plans and become a rallying point for the team. (For more information about the film, go here: http://www.heartofthegame.org/web/home.htm.)

Directions. Watch the video closely, and answer the following questions. Questions on this worksheet are likely to appear on the next exam.

  1. According to your text (and class lecture), how is gender functional for society?
  1. According to your text (and class lecture), how does gender reproduce inequality for society (conflict perspective)?
  1. In the film, Coach Bill Resler talks about the “inner circle.” What does he mean by this?
  1. Roosevelt High School is a predominantly white high school. Why does Darnellia Russell choose this school over other high schools?
  1. In the film, Darnellia Russell is ruled “ineligible” to play. How is this ruling related to gender? How would a conflict theorist explain this? A functionalist?

Media Literacy Questions:

Everything you see in a film (or any form of media) represents an intentional choice by the director, editor or cinematographer. Since we get most of our information about the world from media, it’s important to understand how to make sense of media images. Use these questions to help you make sense of these images.

6. What are the physical qualities of the motion picture (check where applicable):

____ Music
____ Narration
____ Special effects
____ Color
____ Live action
____ Background noise / ____ Animation
____ Dramatizations
____ “Talking Heads”
____ Historic Footage
____ Subject Interviews
____ Newspaper Headlines

7. What is the central message(s) of this documentary? How do you think the filmmakers wanted the audience to respond?

8. What information do you gain about this event that would not be conveyed by a written source? Be specific.

9. Documentaries are often criticized for using too many “talking heads,” that is experts on the subject of the film who shown talking. Different filmmakers have come up with a variety of ways to solve the problem of “talking heads.” How does the filmmaker address that problem in this film?