DOCSLIB.ORG

Using Popular Culture In-The Social Studies. How to Do It Series, Series

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Using Popular Culture In-The Social Studies. How to Do It Series, Series DOCUMT 41151110 ED 178 421 SO 012 081 AUTHOR Turner, Thomas N. TITLE Using Popular Culture in-the SocialStudies. How to Do It Series, Series 2, No. 9. INSTITUTION National Council for the SocialStudies, Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 79 NOTE 7p.; For related documents, see SO012 079-080 AVAILABLE FROM National Council for the SocialStudies, 3615 Wisconsin Avenue, N.V. ,Washington D.C.20016 ($1.00, quantit disocnOts available) - EDRS PRICE aF01 li.us Postage. PC RotAvailable from IDES. DESCRIPTORS Career Education; *ClassActivities; Clothing; Films; *L.darning Activities; Mass Media;ausic; *Pppular Culture; Publications; secondaryEducaticin; *Social Studies; *Teaching Procedures;Television ABSTRACT - The booklet offers a variety cfsuggestions for integrating a study of popular cultureinto the high school social studies classroom. Popular cultureis described as thcse elements im society whiah have the primary functionof entertaining or selling and which axe becoming a familiar,recognizable, and identifiable entity for a large number of people. Somereasons far studying popular culture are that itis intimately connected vith the individual's personal and socialdevelopment; students possess an intimate and detailed knowledgeof popular culture; the resources are abundant and inexpensire: andpopular culture has lasting social importance and significance.leaching suggestiors include the areas cf popular music, televisionand movies, social gatherings,printed materials, fads and fashions, midcareeri. Music activities include listing qualities and rating stars,rewriting lyrics to tell of a local incident, and voting onvalues depicted in selectedstatements from songs. Televisionprovides a study of propaganda and of distortion of reality through videotechniques. An examination of -Social gatherings could lead tosimulations and creative writing exercises. Popalar magazines cambe investigated according to audience appeal and a historyof clothing fashion show coulddepict fads and fashions. Finally,strategies for career education include exploratory mini7courses andclassifying jobs in terms cf glamour. (KC) a *********************************************************************** best that can be made -311 Reproductioes supplied by EDRS are the from the original document. * *********************************************************************** '.! eaNarrallikt OP NIALTII. ItSWAIM' a allairana aairilaaL alartrivta OP allanalveas '100$ 0000NIVa Has MON it1P*0. PPM!EXACTLY ASNlativao Paam Toga Mt ION Oa 0*OANIZATOQ*twN. aT Ma IT POINTS Mr VIM 0111 001111101115 STATICS CO NOT IINICISSAMILY RINCE 0.COLIN Min OP P I CIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OP ----t EDUCATION POSITION Oft POLICY 0"It7Q- IL- 977 "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS _ 4.1 MATERIAL IN MICROFICHE ONLY HAS BEEN GRANTER BY $) 14 1 5" 10 THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)," Using PopularCulture in the CO Social Studies Thomas N..Turner Associate Professor of Education University of Tennessee, Knoxville What interests, students? What do they like anddislike? What do they wear? What is this year's slang?What do students talk about outside of class? What do theydo with their time? What do they see, as valuable Or important inthe world around them? The answers to such questions as these define the field of popular culture. That culture haspowerful impact on how students learn and on theirknowledge, habits, skills, and concept development. Popular culture as an area of concern for socialstudies programs isrelated to ihe growing importance of mass entertainment and mass media as ,social forces.Although a variety of definitions of popular culture exists,the descriptive framework provided by Herbert Gans in Popular Cultureand High Culture seems most useful to the social studies.Gans distinguishes popular culture from mass culture. Thelatter, he says, is a pejorative term indicating a mobchoice rather than an individeal choice, and even a negativejudgment that there is a lack of culture. Gans states that there are anumber of popular cultures, all of which are taste cultureswhich function io entertain, inform, and beautify life. Tastecultures consist of values, the cultural fOrmswhich express these values, and the media through which they areexpressed. Taste cultuse Is not limited to leisure time or toaesthetic values. However, it is a partial culture, providingvalues for only a part of life. Further, Gans points outthat popular culture is a "vicarious" culture rather than a"lived" culture. For the purposes of the approaches consideredin this booklet, something may be defined as being partof the popular culture if it meets the followingconditions: It is a visible, continuing element in the currentlives of members of the culture. Its primary functicin is to entertain, bring enjoyment, orsell something to p.K)ple. ColIVAIINI IV, by der Wilma Coma Ix the sada Steam USING POPULAR CULTURE IN THE SOCAL STUDIES ,. its continued popularity and existence are mattersof many In choosing content for the sttidy of popular culture,the people choosing them over other things. teacher should keep in mind that "popularity" is partially It is, or is becoming, a familiar, recognizable, andidentifi- function of age, raci4 and ethnic group, sex-role expetta- able entity for a large number of people. tions, and culturai backgrocind. A crucial question is "Whose popular culture are we talking aboati" Tohave meaningful popularity for a particular student, the culture Why Study Popular Culture in Social Studies? that is studied giust he part of his or her own experiences and tasks. Social studies curricula have given increasing attention to 4. the modern world and to factors deemed relevant to everyday Teaching Thmugh the Popular Culture life. The study of popular culture seems particularly appro- priate and important, not just because "it'sthere" but for a Study of the popular culture may serve manyuseful number of vital curricular reasons, including the following: educational purposes. These may fit into one or more of the following categories: 1. The popular culture is intimately_connected tothe indi- vidual's personal and social development. It is related to Gaining information about popular culture anddeveloping personal habits, individual self-concept and ideals, awareness of that culture. psychological needs, aspirations, and dreams. The popular Developing research Skills through inquiry into the popular culture is the student's own culture, his or her "turf," culture. which surrounds and influences the student andwhich the Strengthening skills in finding what others think about student most desperately needs to understand. elementsin the popular culture. 2. Popular culture provides an ever-presentworkshop where 'Examining values and tastes. instances of social manipulatiokand controlof people are Using understanding of popular culture as a basisfor ready.made for students to study and analyze.Every extending one's ability to comprehend other cultures and known form of social communicationand media is used other peoples. upon the public and awaitsstudent discovery and scrutiny. the broad living con- In order to enable teachers to see sorpething of 3. The poPular culture is the arena in which field of popular culture, the remainder of this booklet at- troversy and dissent have meaningand reality. Here that culture and to conflicts in tempts to ideritify selected elements"within sensitivity, awareness of personal values, and illustrate types of techniques that might be used. Itshould be measiingfully values can he most realistically and recognized that the sampling of activities offered for any one explored. element could often be adapted to other facets of thatculture. 4. Students at all levels possess, an intimateand detailed knowledge of the popular culture. They are themselves excellent resource people and are oxsually familiar with the Popular Music resources through which they mayobtain still more infor- culture is the complicated A major purpose in the study of popular mation. Therefore, the often frustrating and understanding of human motivation, especially of one's own task of becoming familiar with resources is unnecessary. and motivation. Students can focus upon the processes of inquiry Perhaps, no other element of the popular culture is so learning. universally a part of youth culture as popular music.What- 5. The resources and materialsfor studying the popular ever the type ofcommercia4zed music, it is still reflective of culture are abundant, easily accessible, often inexpensive and personally involved wilth human motivation.Students or free,an-d often already part of students' kveryday lives. advantage of existing identify with singers and musicians, hold thefts as folk heroes b. Study of the popular culture takes and heroines, and admire and often internalize thevalues student interest and curiosity. Therefore, the teacherdoes expressed in their songs and life styles. not need to create student interest, concern, orinvolve- that level of One of the strategies useful for studying popular music ment, hut can concentrate on maintaining involves student rating. Students can produce their own excited involvement which already exists. These and rating sheet to evaluate individual stars and groups. 7. The popular culture has lasting social importance individual notebooks of significance. The elements within the popularculture of_ can then be copied for class or comparative ratings. In preparing the rating form,students any time nr groupcontribute to the total pattern of any those values or will need
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Understanding the Value of Arts & Culture | the AHRC Cultural Value
    Understanding the value of arts & culture The AHRC Cultural Value Project Geoffrey Crossick & Patrycja Kaszynska 2 Understanding the value of arts & culture The AHRC Cultural Value Project Geoffrey Crossick & Patrycja Kaszynska THE AHRC CULTURAL VALUE PROJECT CONTENTS Foreword 3 4. The engaged citizen: civic agency 58 & civic engagement Executive summary 6 Preconditions for political engagement 59 Civic space and civic engagement: three case studies 61 Part 1 Introduction Creative challenge: cultural industries, digging 63 and climate change 1. Rethinking the terms of the cultural 12 Culture, conflict and post-conflict: 66 value debate a double-edged sword? The Cultural Value Project 12 Culture and art: a brief intellectual history 14 5. Communities, Regeneration and Space 71 Cultural policy and the many lives of cultural value 16 Place, identity and public art 71 Beyond dichotomies: the view from 19 Urban regeneration 74 Cultural Value Project awards Creative places, creative quarters 77 Prioritising experience and methodological diversity 21 Community arts 81 Coda: arts, culture and rural communities 83 2. Cross-cutting themes 25 Modes of cultural engagement 25 6. Economy: impact, innovation and ecology 86 Arts and culture in an unequal society 29 The economic benefits of what? 87 Digital transformations 34 Ways of counting 89 Wellbeing and capabilities 37 Agglomeration and attractiveness 91 The innovation economy 92 Part 2 Components of Cultural Value Ecologies of culture 95 3. The reflective individual 42 7. Health, ageing and wellbeing 100 Cultural engagement and the self 43 Therapeutic, clinical and environmental 101 Case study: arts, culture and the criminal 47 interventions justice system Community-based arts and health 104 Cultural engagement and the other 49 Longer-term health benefits and subjective 106 Case study: professional and informal carers 51 wellbeing Culture and international influence 54 Ageing and dementia 108 Two cultures? 110 8.
    [Show full text]
  • Popular Culture, Relational History, and the Question of Power in Palestine and Israel Author(S): Rebecca L
    Institute for Palestine Studies Popular Culture, Relational History, and the Question of Power in Palestine and Israel Author(s): Rebecca L. Stein and Ted Swedenburg Source: Journal of Palestine Studies, Vol. 33, No. 4 (Summer, 2004), pp. 5-20 Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the Institute for Palestine Studies Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3247543 Accessed: 18/05/2009 11:53 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=ucal. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1995 to build trusted digital archives for scholarship. We work with the scholarly community to preserve their work and the materials they rely upon, and to build a common research platform that promotes the discovery and use of these resources. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. University of California Press and Institute for Palestine Studies are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Palestine Studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Sustainable Development and Cultural Policy: Do They Make a Happy Marriage?
    ENCATC JOURNAL OF CULTURAL MANAGEMENT AND POLICY Sustainable Development and Cultural Policy: Do They Make A Happy Marriage? Géraldine Dallaire HEC Montréal, Canada François Colbert HEC Montréal, Canada Keywords: ABSTRACT Cultural Policy The aim of this article is to foster debate within the academic community on the notion of Agenda 21 culture as the fourth pillar of sustainable development. Is Agenda 21 for Culture not just another way of making the case for increased funding of the arts by the different Sustainable governments? Are the goals of this fourth pillar not the same as those traditionally found in development cultural policies? This article looks at the origins of Agenda 21 and raises questions about its relationship with the challenges facing cultural and arts organizations, the different definitions Market Issues of the term “culture,” and the distinction between high and popular culture. It explores the links between these questions and the economic and market issues confronting stakeholders High art / popular in the cultural sector as well as public policy makers. art 6 ENCATC JOURNAL OF CULTURAL MANAGEMENT AND POLICY Introduction The issue of cultural democratization is a recurring theme that was once again pushed to the Cultural actors in all developed countries are fore on the occasion of the anniversaries of the struggling with a serious lack of funding. The cultural ministries of France and Quebec, notably, in economic crisis of 2008 has had a devastating impact 2009 and 2011. Indeed, one of the founding missions on government budgets, leading to severely limited of the French Ministry of Culture upon its creation in access to public funding.
    [Show full text]
  • Dziesinski, SOC 459 SPRING15 (WI,E), 16Wks Prov2
    SOC 459, Spring 2015 Sociology of Popular Culture Dziesinski COURSE SYLLABUS SOC 459 Sociology of Popular Culture Focus Designation: Eth, WI (3 Credits) University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Spring 2015 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10:30-11:20 A.M. Meeting Place: TBD Instructor: Michael Dziesinski, Ph.D. Office: Saunders Hall, Room 241 Office Hours: Wednesdays 3:30-5:00 p.m. and by appointment. Email: [email protected] Course Website: https://laulima.hawaii.edu/ Prerequisite: Sociology 300 I. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course examines popular culture from various sociological perspectives. Popular culture appears in many forms in our daily life such as the Internet, the media, film, music, comic books, video games, clothing fashions, and even the food we eat. We will explore the roles and influence popular culture has upon daily life by defining and analyzing the phenomenon with the aid of various sociological approaches that have been used to explain popular culture. Who has the power to classify what is ‘popular’, what is ‘high brow’ culture, and what is ‘low brow’ entertainment? Does popular culture manifest ‘from the bottom up’ - is popular culture created for and by the people? Or is popular culture dictated ‘from the top down’ - by elites and commercial interests in positions of power that shape the cultural tastes of the masses? Who are the producers and consumers of popular culture? With the global accessibility offered by the Internet and social media, have the boundaries between producer and consumer blurred? And where does the concept of intellectual property and ownership fit into the digital age of popular culture? Finally, we will compare the forms and features of the Western popular culture hub of Hollywood with other global hubs such as Bollywood and Tokyo.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Resistance,' 'Cultural Radicalism,' and 'Self-Formation'
    Popular Culture, ‘Resistance,’ ‘Cultural Radicalism,’ and ‘Self-Formation’ Comments on the Development of a Theory Kaspar Maase 1. PRELIMINARY COMMENTS This article follows up on the debate over the resistance potential of popular culture. The first part traces the historical constellation of ideas in which the question arose and remains to this day. The second part attempts to systematize different dimensions of ‘resistance.’ The third part examines the development and criticism of this approach in the field of Cultural Studies. This leads to the fourth part, which investigates the role “cultural radicalism” (Fluck, “Die Wissenschaft” 115) has played in this discussion. The fifth part introduces the concept of self-formation. The sixth discusses the ways in which the political relevance of popular culture has been evaluated, and how the ‘resistance’ approach can be further developed. ‘Resistance’ in a specific sense, namely that established in British Cultural Studies, forms the point of reference, framing the topic of this article in three ways. Firstly, the analysis will take place within the supposed context of a clash of interests between ‘the people’ and ‘the power bloc’; secondly, it will focus on the cultural dimension; and thirdly, it will investigate the cultural exercise of power and oppositional practices from the perspective of ‘the people’ with the intention of facilitating their empowerment. The thoughts of political and academic actors as to what exactly constitutes ‘resistance’ are as varied and contradictory as the concerns articulated by ‘the people.’ Nonetheless, there is a widespread expectation that research from the perspective of ‘the people’ has to promote 46 Kaspar Maase oppositional feelings, thoughts, and actions.
    [Show full text]
  • Megachurches and Popular Culture: on Enclaving and Encroaching
    Chapter 4 Megachurches and Popular Culture: On Enclaving and Encroaching Simon Coleman and Saliha Chattoo 1 Introduction: Performing the ‘Mega’ Christians have always built large churches. Imposing cathedrals dominated the architectural profiles and often the economies of cities in medieval Eu- rope, and spread into the New World along with colonisation and missionisa- tion (Coleman and Bowman 2018). Yet, while such churches are often huge, we do not think of them as mega. Their size – expressive of ecclesiastical authority – has a different quality to the dynamic, ostensibly more democratic forms of expansion that we associate with today’s megachurches.1 If many Gothic and neo-Gothic cathedrals expanded upwards towards the heavens while ostentatiously occupying urban centres, contemporary megachurches have tended to expand sideways, taking up large swathes of land in suburban areas, or repurposing large-scale facilities such as sports arenas. Furthermore, these differences in models of growth go beyond the spatial or the architec- tural. Cathedrals have tended to represent ‘high culture’, embodying national identity, craftsmanship, education, and patronage. Megachurches inhabit a very different cultural realm, relying on an ability to attract people to their ser- vices and consumers to their products. An empty cathedral (and there are many) still provides an important symbolic and civic function. An empty megachurch serves no purpose at all. This chapter demonstrates the importance of popular culture to the devel- opment of megachurches, showing its intimate connection with such church- es’ performances of what is often made to seem like ineluctable expansion. Our use of the word performance here is very deliberate, since it is meant to convey the sense of both producing growth and displaying it through a variety of media (see also Goh 2008; Maddox 2012).
    [Show full text]
  • Quality Culture: Understandings, Boundaries and Linkages
    Quality culture: understandings, boundaries and linkages Lee Harvey & Bjørn Stensaker Presented at EAIR Forum Innsbruck, September 2007. Submitted to European Journal of Education 24th November, 2007 Published as Harvey, L. and Stensaker, B., 2008, ‘Quality culture: understandings, boundaries and linkages’, European Journal of Education 43(4), pp. 427–42. ABSTRACT As part of the process of enhancing quality, quality culture has become a taken-for- granted concept intended to support development and improvement processes in higher education. By taking a theoretical approach to examining quality culture, starting with a scholarly examination of the concept of culture, and exploring how it is related to quality, quality improvement and quality assurance, the aim of this paper is to create a better understanding of how one can make sense of quality culture, its boundaries but also its links to the fundamental processes of teaching and learning. Keywords: quality, culture, quality culture, learning and teaching, academic engagement 1. Introduction Quality assurance is no longer a novelty to higher education. National and institutional systems for evaluation, assessment, accreditation and audit are now a routine in the majority of European countries (Schwarz & Westerheijden 2004). However, this does not mean that quality work and quality improvement is an integrated part of the sector. Available evidence rather suggests that while systems, procedures and rules are being laid down, creating much data, many reports and much attention (Stensaker 2003), there is still a lack of staff and student attachment and active involvement in these processes (Newton 2000; Vidal, 2003). When trying to describe the ideal involvement of student and staff in such processes, the concept of quality culture has in the latter years often been highlighted as a description of the social processes intended to characterise well-functioning quality systems and quality work processes (Ba˘stová et al., 2004; Rozsnyai, 2003).
    [Show full text]
  • The Culture Industry As Mass Deception Revisited
    XULAneXUS Volume 9 | Issue 1 Article 8 12-1-2011 The rF ankfurt School and the Problem with Popular Culture: The ulturC e Industry as Mass Deception Revisited Nelantha K. Riley Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.xula.edu/xulanexus Recommended Citation Riley, Nelantha K. (2011) "The rF ankfurt School and the Problem with Popular Culture: The ulturC e Industry as Mass Deception Revisited," XULAneXUS: Vol. 9 : Iss. 1 , Article 8. Available at: https://digitalcommons.xula.edu/xulanexus/vol9/iss1/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by XULA Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in XULAneXUS by an authorized editor of XULA Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Riley: The Frankfurt School and the Problem with Popular Culture: The Cu ! Volume 9, Issue 1, December 2011. Scholarly Note. 9-18. ! <http://xulanexus.xula.edu/textpattern/index.php?id=121> ! The Frankfurt School and the Problem with Popular Culture: The Culture Industry as Mass Deception Revisited Nelanhta K. Riley, Psychology Faculty Mentor: Dr. Christopher Faircloth, Sociology Abstract The turn to the 21st century and the technological advances that came with it have made the culture industry a force to be reckoned with, but at the same time changing the dynamics of the marketing Nelanhta Riley is a Psychology arena. Now more than ever, the Internet has become a marketing major with a minor in Sociology entity in its own right. The varying industries of culture are no from New Orleans, LA. Upon longer the gatekeepers of public opinion and product critique.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 4: Local Culture, Popular Culture, and Cultural Landscapes
    CHAPTER 4: LOCAL CULTURE, POPULAR CULTURE, AND CULTURAL LANDSCAPES Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights APHUG | BHS | Ms. Justice reserved. Key Questions: Chapter 4 4.1 What are local and popular cultures? 4.2 How are local cultures sustained? 4.3 How is popular culture diffused? 4.4 How can local and popular cultures be seen in the cultural landscape? Field Note: Preserving Culture “The signs with the Tata Corporation’s “ logo were everywhere on the landscape of the city of Hyderabad in India (Fig. 4.1): a Tata corporate building across the street from our flat; Tata emblazoned on the grill of trucks through out the city; Tata sky satellite dishes bringing television into homes; Tata International consulting buildings in the high-tech district of the city. I asked my host what the Tata Corporation was and where the name came from. He explained, “Tata is a family name. The Tata family are members of the Parsi religion, and they own many businesses throughout India and the world.” © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Key Question 4.1 What are local and popular cultures? © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. What Are Local & Popular Cultures? A culture is a group of belief systems, norms, and values practiced by a people. A group of people can be recognized as a culture in one of two ways: 1. The people call themselves a culture. 2. Other people (including academics) can label a certain group of people as a culture. What Are Local & Popular Cultures? Folk culture is small, incorporates a homogeneous population, is typically rural, and is cohesive in cultural traits.
    [Show full text]
  • Pop Culture: an Overview by Tim Delaney the Term
    Pop Culture: An Overview by Tim Delaney The term ‘popular culture’ holds different meanings depending on who’s defining it and the context of use. It is generally recognized as the vernacular or people’s culture that predominates in a society at a point in time. As Brummett explains in Rhetorical Dimensions of Popular Culture, pop culture involves the aspects of social life most actively involved in by the public. As the ‘culture of the people’, popular culture is determined by the interactions between people in their everyday activities: styles of dress, the use of slang, greeting rituals and the foods that people eat are all examples of popular culture. Popular culture is also informed by the mass media. There are a number of generally agreed elements comprising popular culture. For example, popular culture encompasses the most immediate and contemporary aspects of our lives. These aspects are often subject to rapid change, especially in a highly technological world in which people are brought closer and closer by omnipresent media. Certain standards and commonly held beliefs are reflected in pop culture. Because of its commonality, pop culture both reflects and influences people’s everyday life (see e.g. Petracca and Sorapure, Common Culture). Furthermore, brands can attain pop iconic status (e.g. the Nike swoosh or McDonald’s golden arches). However, iconic brands, as other aspects of popular culture, may rise and fall. With these fundamental aspects in mind, popular culture may be defined as the products and forms of expression and identity that are frequently encountered or widely accepted, commonly liked or approved, and characteristic of a particular society at a given time.
    [Show full text]
  • RAD2001 Popular Culture Course Outline 2020-2021
    10/21/2020 COMMS Algonquin College of Applied Arts & Technology RAD2001 Popular Culture Course Outline 2020-2021 Pre-requisite(s) N/A Co-requisite(s) N/A Prepared by Dan Pihlainen, Chair, Media Studies Approved by Dan Pihlainen, Chair, Media Studies Normative hours 42.00 Grading system A+ Through F Experential Learning No Applicable Program(s) Level Core/Elective Multiple Programs Multiple Levels Multiple Core/Elective COVID-19 Notice Due to COVID-19 this course may be offered via remote delivery in 2020-21. Your course may have changes that are not reflected in the Course Outline. Please see the Course Section Information document for updated information about your course. If you have questions please contact your professor. Course Description One dictionary definition of popular culture is the "totality of socially transmitted behaviour patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought." This definition allows us great freedom and scope. Students examine recent North American popular culture including trends, fads, styles, theories and the cult of the new. By exploring our perceptions of culture and the trivialization of society, students begin to appreciate how the media has relentlessly helped to shape today's values. Through online research, assigned readings, and participation in self-directed learning, students critique popular culture's place in North American society, concentrating on their decade of choice. General Education Theme Area(s) This is a General Education course that supports learning in the following theme area(s): Arts in Society, Social and Cultural Understanding Essential Employability Skills This course contributes to your program by helping you achieve the following Essential Employability Skills: EES 1 Communicate clearly, concisely and correctly in the written, spoken and visual form that fulfills the purpose and meets the needs of the audience.
    [Show full text]
  • Pulp Poets and Superhero Prophets: a Case for Popular Culture in Academic Library Collection Development
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Publications and Research Queensborough Community College 2015 Pulp Poets and Superhero Prophets: A Case For Popular Culture in Academic Library Collection Development William Blick CUNY Queensborough Community College How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/qb_pubs/38 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] Pulp Poets and Superhero Prophets 1 Pulp Poets and Superhero Prophets: A Case For Popular Culture in Academic Library Collection Development William M. Blick 247-33 90th avenue Bellerose, NY 11426 [email protected] [email protected] Search terms: popular culture, collection development, collection management, special collections, film, television, pulp fiction Pulp Poets and Superhero Prophets 2 Abstract For decades, popular culture was neglected and frowned upon by academics. In recent years, cultural critics, including librarians, have found popular culture materials to be didactic tools, and vital to the study of society and the zeitgeist that has prevailed at the time of their production. As a result, many academic librarians have found it useful to develop collections in their libraries that reflect a range of sociological change as demonstrated in these resources. With diligence and research, academic collection development managers may choose materials that will enhance the role of popular culture in their libraries. Pulp Poets and Superhero Prophets 3 Traditional libraries of higher education have prided themselves on maintaining collections that support the college’s curriculum, enhance research materials, and act in the best interest of their learning community.
    [Show full text]