What Is Pop Culture? Why Study
It?
Quickwrite #1:
• Choose a favorite or familiar piece of
pop culture (a band, a musician, a film,
a sports team) and write about it in the
context of the essay we read for today.
In what ways does your chosen piece of
pop culture fit in with at least one of
Delaney’s ideas about what pop culture
is and how it functions in our society?
What is “culture”?
• cul·ture
• noun : the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a
particular society, group, place, or time
• The word “arts” in this definition is what we are
most concerned with. Now, this doesn’t just
mean “art” as in drawing, painting, etc.
• The art of a culture is ALL of that culture’s
methods of creative expression. What are some
of the ways people express themselves creatively
in the culture of early 21st century America?
What is “Pop Culture”?
• One possible definition is in the introduction to our
textbook Pop Perspectives, where pop culture is
defined as “the common images, traditions, customs,
and knowledge shared by large groups of people” (5).
• What this means:
• Pop culture is short for “popular culture.” This means it has
a broad appeal. (A large cross section of society relates to
it.)
• Pop culture is sometimes defined in opposition to “high
culture” (which is a label I’m not fond of). “High culture” is
thought to be more accessible to the educated/elite, while
“popular” cultures is thought to be the art and creative
expression of the “masses.”
Group List of Pop Culture
• What are some specific examples of pop
culture you we can come up with as a group?
• Again, we’re talking about TV, Movies, music,
books (yes, comic books count), fashion icons,
artists, and brands that have a broad appeal.
Some Other Features of Pop Culture…
• Pop culture is dynamic. This means it is constantly
changing and in motion. This is always been true,
but the speed at which pop culture shifts has
increased as mobile internet technology and
social media have become more and more
popular.
• Pop culture is not monolithic. This means that
while we may talk about pop culture as a whole
in order to understand it, the individual pieces
that make up pop culture are diverse, and
sometimes contradictory.
Brainstorming
• Brainstorming is a writing activity that asks you to
write down ideas quickly, in short bursts without
worrying about correctness.
– You might use an idea web
– You might make lists of phrases/ideas as they come to
you.
• We are going to brainstorm as a class about the
idea of “talent,” and later you will brainstorm on
your own about a different topic.
Writing as “Unpacking the Box”
• One way to think of writing is as the process
of unpacking a box that is full of objects.
• Each sentence is a box that contains other
sentences. You just have to look carefully to
find them.
• Using our brainstorming about “talent” as a
class, we are going to write three sentences
and then “unpack the box” in order to find
more sentences.
What to do with brainstorming once
you have it…
• Identify words/concepts that are related. Do you
notice any patterns? Record what you notice on
your brainstorming sheet.
• Does one set of ideas stand out to you? Mark it.
Why does it stand out?
• Which of the ideas you brainstormed seems like
the “box” with the most in it? (Remember the
metaphor of writing as unpacking a box?) That is
the one you probably want to write about, as
long as it fits your topic.
Freewriting
• Freewriting is “stream of consciousness” writing
about a topic. While you freewrite, keep your pen
or pencil moving and do not worry about unity,
coherence, or correctness.
• Having identified your favorite ideas from the
brainstorming, I am going to ask you to freewrite
about the topic for a specified period of time.
• If you get stuck, choose a phrase like “I don’t
know what to write,” and write that over and
over again. Your brain will eventually get bored
and give you something else to say.
Individual Brainstorming/Freewriting
• Brainstorm, using an idea web or some other
brainstorming technique, about the following
topic:
•“My relationship with
pop culture.”
• When I call time, you should stop brainstorming,
identify groups of related ideas in your
brainstorming, and begin to freewrite about
those ideas.
Characteristics of an Essay
• Has a thesis statement – a claim the entire essay
works to support
• Has paragraphs that support the thesis.
– Each paragraph covers one point of support for the
thesis.
– Each point of support (these are your reasons that the
thesis is correct) is logical and explained thoroughly.
• Uses an appropriate tone and style for the
intended audience.
• Uses the tools of writing to convey the author’s
message clearly and memorably.
Using Brainstorming to Draft a Short
In-Class Essay
• Look back at your freewriting and write a brief inclass essay draft where you make a claim about
the topic you brainstormed earlier: “My
relationship with pop culture.”
• Your thesis will be a statement about the topic,
and your support will require you to think about
questions like this: Why do you have the
relationship with pop culture that you do? Has
this relationship enhanced your life? What events
and circumstances have led you to this
relationship?
Why study “Pop Culture”?
• Historically, academia (schools, universities, professors) put
a lot of emphasis on “high culture” and disregarded “pop
culture,” thinking it wasn’t worth studying or analyzing.
• Recently, many scholars and universities have recognized
the value of pop culture as an area of study.
• Some general assumptions that the study of pop culture
makes:
– The art (this includes movies, music, tv, etc.) that a culture
produces reveals what that culture values.
– The art a culture produces reveals widely held attitudes about
important/controversial issues.
– While Pop Culture can reveal attitudes, it can also change them.
– In other words, the pop culture that we are exposed to can
affect how and what we think, while at the same time forcing us
to examine commonly held assumptions.
Class Discussion of “Pop Culture: An
Overview”
• What, according to the author (Delaney), is
the purpose of popular culture? What does it
do for us as a society? Do you agree with his
observations?
• How does popular culture help people to
create identity?
• What is the connection between popular
culture, social media, and mass media?
Analysis of Pop Culture
• Consider our class list of examples of pop culture,
then answer the following question:
• “We’ve made lists, individually and as a class, of
examples of pop culture that we enjoy. What are
some important issues that your examples of pop
culture brings up?”
• In other words, what important issues/ideas
might these examples of pop culture lead us to
discuss?
• By answering these questions, we are beginning
to do the work of analyzing pop culture.
Everyone’s a Critic
• Because you will be doing the work of analyzing pop
culture, you will be taking on the role of pop culture
critic.
• The word “critic” here doesn’t mean that you are only
going to be saying negative things about pop culture.
Instead, it means that you will…
– Examine the pieces of pop culture you are studying
carefully and thoughtfully.
– Examine the assumptions, trends, and social issues are
brought to light by your examination of pop culture.
– Make claims about what your examination of popular
culture tells you about the society that produced it.
Extra Credit:
• Go online and find a work of criticism about a piece of
pop culture with which you are familiar. (This might be
a review, an essay, a youtube video, a blog post… I
don’t care what the medium is as long as the message
of the criticism is sufficiently complex.)
• For next class, print out and bring to me:
1. The title, author, and website where you found the
work of criticism.
2. In one paragraph, summarize the points the author is
making about the work of pop culture.
3. In a second paragraph, respond to the author’s ideas.
Do you agree with his/her assessment of the piece of
pop culture and (if applicable) its connection to realworld issues?