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I developed an original classroom activity to apply Uncertainty Reduction Theory to initial relationship development using "Hitch." Using my "Uncertainty Reduction Strategies" worksheet to screen a scene between the film's protagonists (played by Eva Mendez and Will Smith), students discover that initiating interpersonal relationships is both rule-governed and imaginative.
Some students report that they had not “looked at "'Hitch' this way” or even thought seriously about representations of initial relationship development in the media. They often claim to see film, especially romantic comedy, as entertainment and devoid of theoretical foundation. This activity challenges students to identify core concepts and to apply those concepts to mediated and real world situations. Beyond conceptual thinking, students draw correlations between URT and other theories of relationship development, discuss interracial romance, and enhance self-awareness.
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