Daniel Lopez-Blas

Dr. Morgan

LEAD CTW

November 21, 2019

The Price of Knowledge

In my experience, Ethnic studies classes have been a place to grow and learn about

others. Going to a high school where the majority of the student population was white, it was

interesting to see that there was a class dedicated to Latino/a studies. While there were classes

for many ethnic groups, this one stood out to me and my friends, particularly because we were

all Latinos. While we weren’t the only Latinos in the class we certainly were not the only

ethnicity represented in the classroom. What I drew from this class was the beauty of diversity

and the importance of keeping an open mind. It forced me and my classmates to look at Latin

American history and determine the consequences it has had on our society and the world as a

whole. While our class was not in danger of being removed, it provided me and my classmates

with an opportunity to talk about political issues, particularly with Latinos, because this was a

Latino/a studies class. Like me, the students in the documentary Precious Knowledge, had an

ethnic studies class in which they were able to learn the history of Latin America, culture, and

politics. While taking these classes, the students were asked to think differently which later

translated to better grades and graduation rates for these students. The film focuses on these

classes and their importance to the students. The documentary, Precious Knowledge, effectively

argues that ethnic studies classes promote diversity.

In his review of the film, Lewis Beale argues that the film highlights the divide of the

cultures of the students and the politicians that opposed them. However, at one point he criticizes
the program by addressing “Paulo Freire's Marxist-oriented book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed.”

this book however as Beale Describes, “ alls for a new relationship among teacher, student and

society” and as is described in the film “ is a cornerstone of Raza Studies” (Beale). In this part of

his analysis, Beale argues that the class is taught with a strong left-wing perspective. He

mentions the book “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” which as he states is a Marxist-oriented book,

however, Beale also mentions that the book is primarily focused on the teacher-student

relationships and relationships between students and society. The book does not solely focus on

indoctrinating the reader, it asks the reader to consider learning and teaching in a different

manner that promotes the intellectual well being of the teacher and the student. While it may

promote ideas that are considered “Anti-American”, it posits new ways of teaching that, as we

know through the film, was being incorporated into their classroom. As the film described, this

very class and the way it was being taught was very beneficial to the students as they were able

to learn better and perform better academically. This review does exactly what the politicians

who were opposed to the program did, they failed to consider that this way of thinking is

beneficial to some. While it promotes ideas that as a country we do not agree with, it is important

to consider that to some individuals it makes sense and that we need to respect their ideals and

what is important to them if we want to understand their arguments. Beale, however, describes

the film as “a frightening — and sobering — look at America's seemingly endless racial and

cultural divide” (Beale). At the end of his review, Beale considers a divide between cultures but

fails to address the fact that the cultural divide between the students and the “American” ideals

do conflict. He acknowledges that it exists but he does little to elaborate as to how this

necessarily affected the students and their arguments. In the film, State Senator John Huppenthal

argued that the very idea of having a class dedicated solely to Latino Studies was anti-American
as it suggested segregation which in fact it did not. Like Huppenthal, Beale fails to see the larger

picture that the class is meant to show. In essence, Beale highlights his own divide from the

students and their beliefs.

In another review of the film, Connie Wun looks more analytically at the film rather than

review it. As she mentions, Precious Knowledge, “situates its narrative in the context of a

longer history of ongoing assaults against immigration” she also argues that there exists a “racial

conflict between the school system and students of color” (Wun). Like Beale, Wun shows that

the film addresses the divide between the administration of the school and the state of Arizona,

and the students that participated in the ethnic studies classes. However, what is interesting about

Wun’s argument is that she incorporates the issue of race and immigration into her analysis.

While never explicitly mentioned, it is clear that many of the students interviewed come from

families of immigrants. Of course, most of these students are also first-generation should they

decide to attend college, which is one of the several accomplishments that the students taking the

Ethnics Studies classes are able to boast. While beneficial to the students, Wun interestingly

argues that the documentary’s very “attempt to disprove conservative accusations” of the classes

only “reifies the state and its institutions as legitimate guarantors of recognition. This undermines

a critical component of ethnic studies programs, which is to teach students how to challenge the

state, its institutions, and ideologies” (Wun). Through this statement, Wun argues that that the

students recognize the power the legislators have but she implies that by letting them have that

power, the students aren’t necessarily being taught what ethnic studies classes are meant to teach.

She argues that ethnic studies should teach about challenging those in power rather than

providing them with more power. She implies that the very documentary weakens the overall

argument that the ethics studies program should be kept. According to Wun, the documentary
gives the state more power as the film establishes the state as the very force the determines

whether this class should exist. As Wun later explained the documentary effectively “promotes

the campaign to retain ethnic studies in Arizona, and defends well the importance of these

programs”, however, she believes that the way the film “framed the value of ethnic studies may

have limited the program’s actual potency, or at the very least undermined the radical

underpinnings of ethnic studies writ large”(Wun). In talking specifically about the classes, Wun

speaks more about the implications of the program and analyzes the film from the very idea it

supports. While the Beale review focuses on the film as a whole Wun looks at Precious

Knowledge through a classroom lens. By focusing on the classes and what was taught, she

attempts to understand the curriculum and the students that participate in these programs. While

critical of the film, Wun effectively argues that the film had its flaws in making its argument but

that it very clearly depicted the struggle that the students went through and the importance it had

on the teachers and students that were involved.

In conclusion, the film Precious Knowledge depicts the importance of these classes and

the student’s struggles. It sheds light on the problem and while it fails to address other issues, it

does a good job of describing the program. It makes it pretty obvious the classes do promote

positive changes and that they are good for the students involved. It is unfair that these classes

were banned because they promoted diversity and while they were comprised of mainly Latino/a

students, they were welcoming to others and allowed for others to learn about the Latino/a

culture. Classes are supposed to teach others about ideas and diffenet ways of thinking which is

exactly what these classes strived for. It is a shame that they were banned but it did bring rise to

a group of students who most likely look for social change later in their lives. In that sense, the

classes and the struggle for them still brought about positive change.
 Works Cited

Beale, Lewis. “Precious Knowledge - PBS Documentary on Arizona's Mexican American Stu...”

AARP, 10 May 2012, www.aarp.org/entertainment/television/info-05-2012/latino-culture-under-

attack-arizona.html.

Palos, Ari, director. Precious Knowledge. Dos Vatos Productions, 2011.

Wun, Connie. “More than Precious Knowledge: A Critical Review of Precious Knowledge.”

Journal of Curriculum Theorizing, 2013,

journal.jctonline.org/index.php/jct/article/view/488/pdf.