Category Archives: Family Life Education and Methodology

Ethical Issues and Dilemmas, Families in Society, Family Life Education and Methodology, Interpersonal Relationships, Parenting

Life as we Know It

Title: Life as we Know It

Date: 2010

Media Type: Film

Rating: PG 13 – Parents Strongly Cautioned

Audience(s): College Age, Adults, Parents, Couples

Language: English

Film/Episode Summary:The movie follows Holly and Messer as they raise a little girl named Sophie. Sophie’s parents died when she was a few months old and they left Holly and Messer to care for her, but Sophie’s parents never told the pair that. As the film plays out, Holly and Messer figure out how to navigate parenthood while also being heavily invested in their careers.

Places to view: Youtube, Amazon Video, Vudu, Google Play, Itunes

Contributor: Krista Hamann

Families in Society, Family Life Education and Methodology, Interpersonal Relationships

Independent Lens: Twin Girls

Title: Independent Lens: Twin Girls

Date: 2014

Media type: Documentary

Format: Complete

Category: Families in Society, Interpersonal Relationships, Family Life Education Methodology

Keywords: family types (adoption), communication, cultural and global perspectives

Rating: NR

Audience(s): Children Under 12, High School Age, College Age, Adults

Language: English

Film/Episode Summary: Independent Lens looks at a case where twin girls were adopted in China to 2 different families. The families were not informed of each other nor did they know that the child they were adopting had a twin. The families met by chance in China after adopting their children and figured out that the girls were twins. One family lives in Norway and the other in California, the girls remain in correspondence and have met on a few occasions, both express feelings of incompleteness without the other and share many traits.

Comments or Recommendations for Teaching: What ethical questions does this raise? In regard to who or what raise those questions? What does this say in your opinion about the international adoption process? Should the families tried to keep the girls together or was separating them right? What does this say about the influence of nature and nurture on a child’s development and personality?

Contributor: Ian Brunzell-Looney

Family Life Education and Methodology, Family Resource Management, Internal Dynamics of Families, Interpersonal Relationships

Forest Gump

Title: Forest Gump

Date: 1994

Media type: Film

Format: Complete

Category: Internal Dynamics of Families, Interpersonal Relationships, Family Resource Management, Family Life Education Methodology

Keywords: family relationship, family functioning, response to crises, conflict management, decision-making, teaching methods, learning environments

Rating: PG-13

Audience(s): High School Age, College Age, Adults

Language: English

Film/Episode Summary: Forrest Gump is a simple man with a low I.Q. but good intentions. He is running through childhood with his best and only friend Jenny. His ‘mama’ teaches him the ways of life and leaves him to choose his destiny. Forrest joins the army for service in Vietnam, finding new friends called Dan and Bubba, he wins medals, creates a famous shrimp fishing fleet, inspires people to jog, starts a ping-pong craze, create the smiley, write bumper stickers and songs, donating to people and meeting the president several times. However, this is all irrelevant to Forrest who can only think of his childhood sweetheart Jenny Curran. Who has messed up her life. Although in the end all he wants to prove is that anyone can love anyone.

Places to view: Youtube, Amazon Video, Vudu, Google Play, Itunes

Contributor: Anonymous