TEACHING HISTORY TO STUDENTS USING THE MOVIE “MULAN” (1998)

Abstract

 This experience report aims to demonstrate how film can serve as a tool for teaching history. Films are sources that can help us understand a society’s cultural characteristics and ways of thinking. The experiences described here took place during the “Supervised Internship in History II” course at the State University of Montes Claros. The project was carried out at a school in Francisco Sá, Minas Gerais, with sixth-grade students. The film Mulan was chosen to discuss representations of women and to connect historical content with cultural and social issues. Although it was based on the Chinese tale of Hua Mulan, the film was produced by Walt Disney. Given this, the aim was to stimulate dialogues that would lead students to adopt an active and critical stance. The results indicate that the film increased students’ interest, contributing to an understanding of historical themes and demonstrating the value of audiovisual media as an educational resource.