Reference no: EM1310902

Choose some aspect of popular culture you have found yourself captivated or otherwise intrigued by—a music form, a toy, gossip magazines, blogging, a celebrity past or present, a fashion, a film, a TV sit-com or drama, reality TV, a video game, home shopping, mall or outlet shopping, a sports team, etc. Your interest may be current or past. Now demonstrate what you have learned from studying popular culture, by not simply "consuming" it (though discuss how you do that too!), but by interpreting your fascination with it. Write a formal piece of writing, 5-7 pages in length using APA paper format (no abstract needed) and citation guidelines.

In your paper, you must:

1. Provide a rationale explaining why your pop culture interest is appropriate for a popular culture course.

2. Explain how the topic is important, SOCIOLOGICALLY.

3. Use any three theories we have covered in the class (e.g., controlling images, McDonaldization, consumer society, simulacrum, leisure, cultivation) and discussed in the lectures and/or readings, to provide a more scholarly explanation for your interest.

4. Discuss what American values help explain the existence of this pop culture artifact or phenomenon. (e.g., think about the film Flash dance. What larger cultural messages about competition, individualism, hard work, and success helped make that film such a hit?)

5. Has the pop cultural artifact or phenomenon generated social policy debate controversy (i.e., song lyrics of Marilyn Manson, Rev. Jerry Falwell’s comments about the Teletubbies, video games, junk food, Bum Fights)? Why or why not?

6. Scholarly Outside resources. Use a minimum of three scholarly resources (book or peer-reviewed journal article), in addition to our book and the assigned course readings and course lectures.

7. Submit a copy of your paper to Turnitin. See Turnitin section under Course Home for instructions.