Analyzing Freedom Writers : An analysis of the depiction of race in the film Freedom Writers and how using such films adds to student knowledge, values and attitudes

The aim of this thesis is to analyze how the film Freedom Writers, released in 2007 anddirected by Richard LaGravenese, reflects on the topic of racism. The analysis is based on twoof the key tenets of Critical Race Theory, “Whiteness as Property” and “Commitment to SocialJustice”, which are used as analytical tools. Furthermore, the analysis also includes RacialIdentity Development Theory, which represents different stages of development as people beginto define themselves in relation to others. This thesis further evaluates pedagogical implicationsin connection to the analysis of Freedom Writers and Critical Race Theory. The results showthat racism is depicted in Freedom Writers through the concept of Whiteness as Property, andthe differences between white characters and characters of color are significant due to theirdifferent views on social justice. In addition, the results show that Freedom Writers may serveas a thought-provoking resource to use in the Swedish EFL classroom to create awareness aboutand discuss the importance of aspects such as racism, empowerment, and social justice in theworld and with regard to the students’ own knowledge