Baffico, Higareda, Azevedo 1

Francesca Baffico, Max Higareda, Al Anthony Azevedo

Dr. Medina

LEAD English 1 CTW

November, 2017

Precious Knowledge Synthesis 2nd Draft

You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . .

. until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. In this excerpt from To Kill a

Mockingbird, Atticus Finch describes that through empathy, one can learn about others identities

and experiences. Ari Palos documentary Precious Knowledge illustrates the Tucson Unified

School District controversy of banning Mexican-American studies programs through the

perspectives of students, teachers, and Arizona state officials. Juan Lopezs Independent Lens on

PBS reviews Precious Knowledge, discussing how both students and communities benefit from

ethnic studies programs. Julio Noboas review of Precious Knowledge on the University of New

Mexicos Native American Studies site discusses how the film is beneficial for the entire

academic learning community, especially students. By applying Lopezs and Noboas articles,

Precious Knowledge demonstrates how ethnic studies programs inspire students and teachers to

empathize and explore other ethnic backgrounds in order to gain insight of the history of their

cultures. The movie Precious Knowledge, by Ari Palos, demonstrates through Lopez and

Noboas articles how ethnic studies programs provided an inspiration for students and faculty in

the TUSD to empathize and explore through inclusive open forum classrooms to gain an insight

about the history of other ethnic backgrounds.

 Baffico, Higareda, Azevedo 2

Both Lopez and Noboa reinforce the positive benefits of TUSDs ethnic studies programs

which are highlighted in Precious Knowledge. Lopez describes that, the film shows a window

into the lives of the students and community who have been positively affected by the program.

Not only do students benefit from taking ethnic studies courses by learning about other

ethnicities and gaining new perspectives, the community also participates by celebrating

Mexican American culture. Whereas Lopez discusses the benefits of ethnic studies programs on

a community level, Noboa focuses on a more personal level. Naboa explains how students, in

particular, benefit from ethnic studies programs, describing that, On a more personal level,

students essays reflecting on this film have expressed how the film has contributed to their own

individual journeys of self-discovery (Noboa 311). Lopez highlights how ethnic studies

programs benefit students and the community at large because they came together to celebrate

ethnic diversity. Students who take these courses learn about the cultures and ideas of other

minority groups that a typical english class cannot provide, which broadens their views. On the

other hand, Noboa implies that students taking ethnic studies courses become more

self-realized human beings, which therefore allows them to be more loving and accepting of

those around them. Once they are more loving and accepting individuals, students can develop

empathy and an overall deeper meaning of life.

Lopez and Noboa both address how ethnic studies programs such as the Raza program

provide a great resource to education. Noboa discusses how the film is used as an educational

tool which has generated profound and wide ranged discussions based on the issues of ethnicity,

identity, and racism. Noboa mentions that because this film accurately retells events based on

these issues, Precious Knowledge is an outstanding documentary [making] it a valuable

 Baffico, Higareda, Azevedo 3

resource for secondary teachers and university professors teaching courses in social sciences,

history, curriculum or education (Noboa 311). He mentions how the film is more of an

education tool for students and teachers whereas Lopez discusses how the film empowers

students. Lopez explains, The film details the genesis of ethnic studies programs through a

brief summary showing how during the Civil Rights Movement cultural/ethnic studies programs

began as a way to franchise normally marginalized minority populations (Lopez 2). Lopez

discusses how ethnic studies programs originated from the Civil Rights Movement , and sought

to educate and inspire students to help improve their education. He further illustrates that this

film is a platform that empowers students due to the relevance it provides them as compared to

societal behavior. Noboa describes how the use of different perspectives from the students and

staff greatly impact the film and its importance to teach society as it authentically represents the

Mexican American culture. Noboa finds this course to be extremely helpful in his ability to use it

in university style classrooms that discuss issues based on racism, and ethnicity.

Lopez and Noboa both discuss how Precious Knowledge has a greater impact on society

as a whole. Lopez says that, Anyone who claims to care about the future of this country and the

future of the youth of today should see this film (Lopez 3). According to Lopez, anyone in this

country should see this film to become aware of the struggle the TUSD community faced when

these ethnic studies courses were banned. By contrast, Noboa emphasizes the impact this film

has especially on Latino students. Noboa says that Precious Knowledge, informs and inspires a

new generation of Latino cultural warriors who will redefine what it means to be an American

(Noboa 312). Nobao discusses how students who take these ethnic studies courses learn more

about their identity and belonging, which helps them develop a deeper sense of cultural pride. In
 Baffico, Higareda, Azevedo 4

doing som students become empowered and inspired to redefine societys standards of cultural

diversity. Noboas focus on Latino students does not support Lopezs claim that the film is

inspirational and empowering to everyone. On the other hand, Lopez illustrates how viewers

develop empathy after seeing this film because the majority of people who see this film become

aware of the struggle students and the community faced.

Noboa and Lopezs reviews of Precious Knowledge contribute to the interpretation of the

film as a whole in that these reviews highlight how the Raza program impacts the TUSD students

beyond just providing them with an understanding of their culture. Noboa states We also

observe how they interact with their students beyond the classroom, their mentorship extending

to the outside world as they confront difficult challenges together (Noboa 1). In this excerpt

Noboa illustrates the concepts shown that this film provides students with a better knowledge

and understanding of how to recognize and react to these types of situations within their

community. Moreover, Lopez says In the film this statistic stands out, close to 50 percent of

Hispanic/Mexican, American/Latino children drop out of school and while 93 percent of Raza

Program students go on to graduate (Lopez 3). In this excerpt, Lopez describes how the

program has had a positive impact on the students involved with the program in that the program

steered these students in the right direction. The reviews contribute to the understanding of the

film by indicating how the ethnic studies program enabled students to become better versions of

themselves. Both Noboa and Lopezs reviews displays how the film exposes the benefits of the

Raza program in the film, and they reinforce the films portrayal of how students benefit from

these ethnic studies programs.

 Baffico, Higareda, Azevedo 5

Noboa and Lopezs articulate that Precious Knowledge showed how TUSDs ethnic

studies courses helped to inspire students and teachers to explore and empathize with other

cultures to gain a better understanding of ethnic diversity. [more analysis]

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Works Cited

Lopez , Juan J. Independent Lens on PBS Features Mexican-American Identity Film,

Precious Knowledge. Dawn of Nations Today 2012, The University of Mexico ,

nas.unm.edu/dawnofnations/viewpoints.html.

Noboa, Julio.

Https://Search-Proquest-Com.libproxy.scu.edu/Docview/1541922616/Abstract/991

CA858C3784FD0PQ/1. Proquest , Macmillan Publishers ,

search-proquest-com.libproxy.scu.edu/docview/1541922616/fulltextPDF/2B6069B72

7454145PQ/1?accountid=13679.