How do you define the American Dream? How/where did you arrive at this definition? How do the various theories presented in this chapter complicate, support, and/or add to your original understanding of this concept?
What is the general understanding of myth? Trace the understanding of myth through various theoretical frameworks.
What additional cultural myths can you identify? How are they supported through popular culture?
What is the relationship between nationalism and popular culture?
Suggested Readings
Lévi-Strauss’s The Raw and the Cooked
Barthes’s Mythologies
Sample Assignments/Activities
Have students identify advertisements where the “American Dream” is being used to sell a product.
Have students identify a cultural myth and create a myth narrative. Analyze the myth narratives as a class.
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