Discussion Questions

1. What are the general assumptions of courses and/or departments related to the study of popular culture?
2. How is the study of popular culture related to, and affected by, the political climate?
3. How does the definition of popular culture in chapter one differ from your thoughts on what constitutes “pop culture” or popular culture?
4. What are characteristics and examples of elite, popular, and folk culture.
5. How is the study of popular culture a democratic study?

Suggested Readings

• Against Academia
• The Unembarrassed Muse: The Popular Arts in America

Sample Assignments/Activities

• As a way for students to introduce themselves to the class, ask them to go through their backpacks and select five items. Have the students go around and present and discuss the items in terms of how they are popular culture “texts.” This exercise gets students to begin to see how we represent ourselves through popular culture and their own relationships to popular culture. (Examples of items students may choose include: laptops, stickers on laptop, cell phones, cell phone covers, pens/pencils/writing utensils, planners (ex. Erin Condron planners), sports affiliations, sorority letters, etc.).
• Assign an Introduction Assignment to the class where, using popular culture texts the students enjoy or participate in daily, students introduce themselves. This can take the form of a traditional one to two page paper or use various other media forms (such as a Pinterst board, a Youtube video, a PowerPoint slide designed to look like a social media profile page, a blog, etc.). The purpose of the assignment is twofold: to provide the instructor information on the interests of students to better develop in-class examples and for students to begin the analysis of the popular culture and significance of it in their daily lives and how it is shaping the world around them.