Misogynistic and Antisemitic Coding in TV and Film

Harmful (and positive) societal beliefs do not appear out of thin air. Television, film, and other forms of art can reflect and further perpetuate ingrained societal beliefs. In this lesson, students will explore the ways in which antisemitism and misogyny are ingrained in television and film by exploring four different archetypes of Jewish women. Students will discover how coding can be used to subtly call upon stereotypes by analyzing example scenes. Students will discuss how art can be used to uphold, subvert, or even reclaim stereotypes.

At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

1. Understand four antisemitic and misogynistic archetypes of Jewish women and how they appear in art.

2. Analyze tropes in television and film.

3. Discuss the ways in which art reflects or perpetuates ingrained societal beliefs.

The standards covered in this lesson are:

• AP Art History: 2.A, 2.B, 3.B , 6.A, 7.A

• English: CCSS.ELA- LITERACY.SL.11-12.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2

This lesson plan was created in partnership with the Jewish Women's Archive