Module Prompts

Here you can find each module's prompt:

Module 1

So for the first post on this blog, students should be exploring the following questions: 

1. What popular culture are you drawn to and why?  

1.  Why is it important to you and what value do you get from engaging in it?   

1. What do you anticipate you will learn about that particular form of popular culture in this course?

Here is the link to the example post.  

Module 2

 Using "An Example of Popular Culture' as a grounding, take a look at something else within popular culture from a variety of angles to understand the ways and means people interact with it.  It should be somewhat generic and therefore, you can use specifics to draw out difference angles (similar to the coffee where coffee was generic but then discussed different forms of coffee to distinguish different identities). 

Some other ideas or arenas you might consider (but are not limited to):

• Anime
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cars
• Comics
• Crafting
• Do-It-Yourself
• Fashion
• Food
• Football
• Hockey
• Movies
• Music
• Music festivals/concerts
• Soccer
• Television

Here is the link to the example post. 

Module 3 

Explore and discuss a cowboy or Western motif in a narrative (film, TV series, novel, comic, video game, etc) that isn't a straight-forward cowboy or Western.  In your post, you should

• Briefly explain the narrative (1-2 sentences).
• Discuss how a character is a cowboy and/or how the narrative fits the Western genre.
• Identify specific aspects of the narrative that connect with the ideas in the video on The Cowboy and the Western in Popular Culture.

Here is the link to the example post. 

Module 4

1. Find an article, podcast, or video on the web that critiques some element of popular culture through a mass culture theory approach (Note: The piece does not have to directly say "mass culture theory" but should clearly invoke the ideas of mass culture theory). It should have been published within the last 5-10 years.
2. Read the article.
3. Provide a brief synopsis of it and the link.
4. Then provide a counter-argument that identifies some of its flaws--especially, those that are relevant with the Problems of Mass Culture Theory video. 

Here is the link to the example post.
 

Module 5

Given what we have covered this week in regards to race and ethnicity in popular culture, find a strong example within popular culture of a character that breaks racial or ethnic stereotypes.  In your post, you should

• Identity the popular culture (if it is a show or film, include maybe a relevant clip from YouTube; if it is a comic, maybe show a panel or two).
• Explain the character you are exploring and how the show presents the character as a complex character.
• Compare the character's portrayal with the potrayal of a racial or ethnic minority in one of the readings/views of the course. 

For this assignments, students should steer clear of European ethnicities and races and focus more on non-Western ethnicities and races.  This is not to say there are not stereotypes of Western peoples, but that with regard to American popular culture these groups and peoples tend to have a richer and more diverse representation.  

Here is the link to the example post.

Module 6

 For this week, I'd like you to watch another video from Feminist Frequency.  You can pick from any of the videos at the links listed below.  I encourage you to look at a video that is related to something you like or may have some interest in.  

Video lists to choose from:

• Tropes vs Women in Video Games
• Tropes vs. Women (2011)
• Feminist Frequency Reviews
• Season 4 - 2012
• Season 3 - 2011
• Season 2 - 2010
• Season 1 - 2009

In watching the video, pay attention to the criticism and critique that the creator offers up and the reasons why she makes such an argument.  Provide the following n your post:

1. The name of and a link to the video OR embed the video if you can figure out how to do it (Hint: it entails clicking on the icon in the edit bar that looks like a clapperboard).
2. A summary explanation of what the video covers.
3. A discussion how it has influenced your thinking on the particular area she is discussing and if so, how it has impacted how you for other forms of related popular culture. 

Please keep in mind when watching this video and other content of feminist theory, this particular line of thinking from Caroline Siede.  Criticism doesn't necessarily make it "bad'--rather, it's a way of meaningfully engaging with a text for understand the ways it impacts us.  Criticism doesn't necessarily denote a simpl "good/bad" dynamic, but rather, helps us to understand the ways texts can be understood.  

Here is the link to the example post. 

Module 7

Find and discuss examples of the Culture Industry within popular culture. Remember to discuss how the example does most, if not all of following things:

Provides an abundance of itself in slightly different forms (standardization)

1. Continually produces new version of itself (Psuedo-individualization).
2. Distracts us from real world change. 
3. Socially cements people to their popular culture.
4. Creates a self-perpetuating reinvestment in the popular culture.

Avoid the following (since they have already been mentioned within the videos:

• Cereal
• Apple iProducts
• Apps
• Video games
• Cars
• Smart phones
• TVs
• Mac vs. PC
• Disposable razors
• Coffee

Here is the link to the example post. 

Module 8

After watching this week's video on semiology and signs, let's take a look at signs within popular culture.  You should identify and explore a particular sign from within popular culture.  Within your post, you should do the following:

1. Identify (and include an image of) a particular symbol in popular culture.  This can be literal sign such as a logo of a company, a symbol or icon within a particular show or series (e.g. Superman's "S" or Batman's "bat" icon--though now that I've mentioned those two, you'll have to find another).  Be sure to explain where it is from (e.g. from a novel, movie, show, etc).
2. Explain within the symbol, what is the following:
1. Signification (the whole meaning)
2. Signifier (form)  
3. Signified (meaning/concept)
4. Myth (the bigger ideas that the sign introduces)
3. In doing this exercise, explain what you found interesting and new.

This will be a trickier post than previous and students should really make sure the spend sufficient time with the video to make sure they understand what it is asking. 

Here is the link to the example post. 

 Module 9

Here is the link to the example post. 
 Module 10

Here is the link to the example post. 
 Module 11

Here is the link to the example post. 
 Module 12

Here is the link to the example post. 
 Module 13

Here is the link to the example post. 
 Module 14

Here is the link to the example post. 
 Module 15

Here is the link to the example post.