Ekawati Marhaenny Dukut i A Module Compiled by: Dr. Dra. Ekawati Marhaenny Dukut, M.Hum. FACULTY OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS SOEGIJAPRANATA CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY SEMARANG 2018 ii A Handbook for Reading and Writing about American and Indonesian Popular Culture FOREWARD In the Faculty of Language and Arts of Soegijapranata Catholic University, students majoring in Linguistics or Literature are required to conduct a study and write a thesis. In order to conduct a research, students need to have a good understanding of the basics of a number of courses that becomes the basis of their thesis research writing. Although this handbook or module is for Literature major students who want to make use of Popular Culture products, such as music, song lyrics, film, television shows (serial film, film documentary, box movies, cooking and game shows), comic books, graphic novels, fashion, and advertisements as their major research data; it can also be combined with the theories learnt in linguistics courses to write their pop culture analysis. This module aims to provide an overview of pop culture. It is a compilation of articles and chapters of numerous books on pop culture, including American and Indonesian pop culture. Written samples from the lecturer herself is also compiled in this module to open-up students’ minds about the application of pop culture analysis. This module consists of five chapters. Chapters 1 to 3 focus more on general discussion of what popular culture is and what popular culture made of is. Chapters 4 to 5 are intended to give students more in-depth knowledge about popular culture through further reading and writing. I hope that students have a better understanding of pop culture and are able to make use of this module to help produce an academic paper on a certain pop culture product/ phenomena. I would like to thank the writer of this module for her time and effort of creating it. Finally, I do hope that students do benefit from this module. Angelika Riyandari, Ph.D. Dean of the Faculty of Language and Arts Ekawati Marhaenny Dukut iii SYLLABUS Course description: This course takes students to the definition of culture in general to understand about the characteristics of popular (pop) culture by making a contrast between high and low culture. Although American pop culture products with its myths, beliefs, icons, heroes and rituals become the focus of attention, the discussions brought from the book’s readings is made lively by comparing it to the Indonesian pop culture. The culture of what students see and experience in the current modern society, such as what is seen in the film, television, publishing, advertising and news media industries are discussion samples for University students’ pop culture class. Course objectives: The students using this book are expected to know the definition and criteria of pop culture discuss the difference and similarities of American vs Indonesian pop culture, in order to produce a systematically academic paper on a certain pop culture product/ phenomena. Course format: lecture, individual and group work, in-class discussions, student assignments and presentations. Course policies: Students are required to attend at least 75% of in-class time in order to participate in the Mid and Final Tests. 15 minute lateness is the maximum time for attendance. Other than that a telephone call or text message on the D-day, followed by a written letter acknowledged by a parent/ guardian and Vice Dean of Academic Affairs is required to explain an absence. Course outline: NO TOPIC 1 Introduction: Course description, module, syllabus, target, evaluation, classroom rules, culture, folks, mass/pop culture terminology – What is it? Why study it? iv A Handbook for Reading and Writing about American and Indonesian Popular Culture 2 PopCul & satisfaction, reflection, mindsets 3 PopCul’s house & misconceptions 4 Reading & writing about PopCul, Barbie 5 The Nature of Beauty 6 One Size does Not Fit All On Beauty, The Beauty Myth 7 MID TEST 8 In the shadow of an image 9 Masters of desire 10 Skin Deep 11 Comprehending Advertisements 12 Cracking the Code 13 Framing a Globalized Cultural Identity 14 The Transnational Success of Cosmopolitan Magazine 15 A Popular Culture Research on American Hegemony in Transnational Women Magazine Advertisements 16 FINAL TEST Course evaluations: 1. Class participation/ task/ small test = 40% 2. Mid Test = 30% 3. Final Test project = 30% Primary Text: Dukut, Ekawati Marhaenny. (2018). A Module for Reading and Writing about American and Indonesian Popular Culture. Semarang: Soegijapranata Catholic University. Semarang, March 2018 Dr. Dra. Ekawati Marhaenny Dukut, M.Hum. Ekawati Marhaenny Dukut v TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWARD …………………………………………………………………. ii SYLLABUS ………………………………………………………………….. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………………………………. vi LIST OF FIGURES …………………………………………………………. x CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF POPULAR CULTURE 1 A. Definitions of Culture …………………………………………….…… 1 B. Elite and Folk Culture ………………………………………….…….. 5 C. Mass and Popular Culture ……………………….……………….… 7 D. Subculture and Counterculture …………………………………….. 11 E. Characteristics of Popular Culture …………………………………. 12 1. Pop culture is about satisfaction ………………………………… 13 2. Pop culture is easy to obtain ……………………………………… 14 3. Pop culture is eager to please ………………………………….... 14 4. Pop culture is a reflection of a society …………………………... 15 5. Pop culture’s promotions are manipulating …………………….. 16 6. Pop culture’s themes ……………………………………………… 17 CHAPTER II: THE SIGNIFICANCE, THE HOUSE AND THE MIS- CONCEPTIONS ………………………………………… 21 A. The Significance of Studying Popular Culture ………........................ 21 B. The House of Popular Culture .......................................................... 21 vi A Handbook for Reading and Writing about American and Indonesian Popular Culture 1. The basement: beliefs, values and myth ……………………….. 24 2. The first floor: artifacts (objects and people) …………………… 25 3. Rituals ……………………………………………………………… 27 4. Arts ………………………………………………………………… 27 C. Misconceptions about Popular Culture ..................................... 29 1. Popular culture is simple ……………………………………… 30 2. Popular culture is trivial ……………………………………… 31 3. Popular culture is immediate because it deals with what is popular right now ……………………………………. 32 4. Popular culture is exclusionary …………………………….. 32 CHAPTER III: READING & WRITING ABOUT POPULAR CULTURE 35 A. Active Reading …………………………………………….………..… 35 B. Strategies for Active Reading …………………………….……… 35 C. An Active Reading Casebook: Three Selections on Barbie …. 37 1. Preparing to read stage ……………………………………… 39 2. Reading and annotating stage ……………………………… 39 3. Re-reading stage …………………………………………….. 41 4. Reviewing stage …………………………………………….. 43 D. Reading Popular Cultural Criticism………………………………..…. 44 E. Reading Academic Analyses ………………………….…….. 48 F. The Writing Process ………………………………………….. 59 G. Pre-writing ………… …………………………………………… 60 1. Freewriting ………………………………………………….. 60 Ekawati Marhaenny Dukut vii 2. Clustering …………………………………………………… 61 3. Outlining …………………………………………………….. 62 H. Drafting …………………………………………………..……… 63 I. Thesis and Thesis Statement ………………………………… 66 J. Opening Paragraphs ……........…………………………………… 66 K. Supporting Paragraphs ……………………...……………....... 67 L. Evidence ……………………………….……………………….... 69 M. Conclusions …………………………………………….……….. 71 N. Distancing ………………………………………………........… 73 O. Revising ……………………………………………................ 74 P. Revision Checklist ………………..………………………….. 74 Q. Sample Student Essay ………………………………………. 75 CHAPTER IV: READINGS ON BEAUTY ………………………… 80 A. The Nature of Beauty .............................................................. 80 B. One Size Does Not Fit All ………………………………….…. 105 C. On Beauty and the History of Business ……………………….. 133 D. A Book Review - The Beauty Myth…...………………………... 153 CHAPTER V: READINGS ON ADVERTISING ……………………… 160 A. In The Shadow of an Image …………………………………… 160 B. Masters of Desire ………………………………………...…….... 170 C. Skin Deep …………………………………………………..…… 190 viii A Handbook for Reading and Writing about American and Indonesian Popular Culture D. Comprehending Advertisements through Jean Baudrillard’s Postmodernism ……………………………………………..… 206 E. Cracking the Code: Discover the Global Cultural Value of Magazine Advertisements …………………………….………. 219 F. Framing a Globalized Cultural Identity with a Transnational American Studies ……………………………………………… 235 G. The Transnational Success of Cosmopolitan Magazine ...... 247 H. A Popular Culture Research o American Hegemony in Transnational Women Magazine Advertisements …………… 265 Ekawati Marhaenny Dukut ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: 1950s McDonald’s ……………………………………..…… 8 Figure 2: 1970s Menu at McDonald’s ………………………………... 8 Figure 3: 2010s McDonald’s prosperity burger ……………………… 9 Figure 4: Britney Spears ………………………………………….……. 10 Figure 5: Justin Bieber ………………………………………………… 10 Figure 6: Hippies ……………………………………………………… 11 Figure 7: Punks ………………………………………………………. 11 Figure 8: The house of popular culture ……………………………… 24 Figure 9: Active reading stage ……………………………………….. 36 x A Handbook for Reading and Writing about American and Indonesian Popular Culture A Module for Reading and Writing about American and Indonesian POPULAR CULTURE Ekawati Marhaenny Dukut 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF POPULAR CULTURE1 anesi notes a landmark in 1923 about a Broadway musical, D Running Wild, which helped popularize a sexually vulgar and crude dance called the Charleston to the young at heart (2008, p. 1). It is an event, which