Reference no: EM132395023

Assignment - POPULAR CULTURE AS RELIGION

You are to choose one example of popular culture and write an essay with BOTH the following opposing arguments, each supported by evidence:

Part A: Based on the arguments that popular culture can function or appear like religion presented in course notes and in Forbes and Mahan, you are to argue that your example can be theorized as religion.

Part B: Based on the arguments that popular culture can function or appear like religion presented in course notes and in Forbes and Mahan, you are to argue that your example cannot be theorized as religion.

TOPIC SUGGESTIONS - You may choose any popular culture phenomena and write an essay arguing that it is and is not an example of popular culture as religion. You must base your essay on course theories, either those found in course notes concerning Popular Culture as Religion or those in Forbes' and Mahan's section on Popular Culture as Religion. A good way to think about this essay is that you are to apply the theory of Popular Culture as Religion as laid out in one of the chapters in Part 3 of the textbook. Do not repeat, reiterate or otherwise cover any specific topic from the course notes or texts. You are to come up with your own example of popular culture. Please note that I am not looking for your opinion in this essay. Instead, I want to see how well you apply the theory of Popular Culture as Religion. Remember, the authors in our course do not offer vague generalizations and subjective opinions but draw on specific examples to make their case. RATIONALE One role of a scholar is to read other scholars closely to determine their arguments, and be able to use their theories to build your own argument.

This essay is an exercise in 3 skills: reading critically, arguing coherently and logically, and demonstrating the application of theory.

1. Understanding and explanation of the topic (Did you demonstrate that you read closely and accurately represented the course content? Did you follow the assignment's instructions? Did you demonstrate comprehension of course concepts?)

2. Critical engagement with and evaluation of the topic (Were you able to apply the concepts from the readings and course to your case study? Was your analysis thoughtful and original or was it obvious, unoriginal, vague or ambiguous? Did you go beyond description and comparison and demonstrate the ability to apply a theory to a case study? Did you demonstrate your own critical engagement with the topic or did you merely reiterate what others have said? Did you go beyond the material presented in the lessons and readings? Did you provide specific examples to support your claims? Did you avoid basing your arguments on a Google search or unscholarly websites such as Wikipedia?)

3. Organization and argument structure (Did you have a strong thesis statement? Was your argument tenable? Was your entire paper organized to support and prove your thesis? Did you avoid tangential or otherwise "filler" material? Were your thoughts logically organized and presented?)

4. The mechanics of the paper: grammar, punctuation, spelling, style, length, format (Did you proofread? Did you format your paper properly? Did you separate your thoughts into paragraphs? Was your paper the correct length? Did you avoid colloquial language? Does your writing "style" communicate information easily? Did you follow all my writing tips (found under Assignments on the homepage)? Did you follow citation instructions?