[NOTE: Subject to revision, this may become an individual project] The following schedule will apply to the four steps in your paper project. Proposal (10 pts) Formal Research Draft (50 pts) Presentation (20 pts.) Final Research Paper (20 pts.). WITH FORMAL RESEARCH DRAFT, AND MY COMMENTS, ATTACHED Please let me know of any questions you have concerning this project. I have tried to lay out the expectations as clearly as possible, but, remember, the primary expectations are that you be curious, approach this project with enthusiasm, and carry it out with rigor. It is your chance to demonstrate what you have learned through this course, but it is also an opportunity to exercise your freedom as students, culture producers and consumers. POPULAR CULTURE PROJECT: One important component of this class is the opportunity to learn through discovery and teaching. After developing a theoretical and empirical background through engagement with class materials, students will explore and analyze an example of their choice from the realm of popular culture. In this project, students are expected to demonstrate their ability to analyze one or more texts or practices from popular culture from a critical perspective and their ability to communicate, to teach, that understanding to others. The goal of this project for students is to learn about popular culture from their own exploration and to teach that knowledge to others. The rationale for this project is that the processes of exploration, organization, explanation and teaching (dissemination) enhance one’s own understanding. I hope students find this project enlightening and enjoyable as they broaden their perspective on their social world through connecting academic learning with the world of experience, bridging the gap between theory and experience. Students should select a specific example/topic/theme from popular culture, research the example through systematic observation assisted by scholarly sources, conduct a critical analysis of the selection, write a research essay, and disseminate the newly found knowledge in an informative and engaging presentation that enhances the learning experience of other students in the class. In other words, pick an item from popular culture, do an analysis, and explain the analysis to someone else. The project should consist of an introduction to the study of popular culture, to critical perspectives, and to your item of analysis. This introduction situates the example in the broad study and cultural realm of popular culture and indicates what will be done in the analysis and why the item is important (this would be a good place to include the brief reviews of your scholarly sources). The project should include a detailed description of the item including its history, how it is produced and consumed, the audience, its content, etc. The analysis should identify the critical perspective(s) employed, discuss the perspective in general terms, and apply it to the example specifically. The analysis should reflect the material from the course and, in doing so, should engage some of the concepts, theory, and/or approaches covered in class materials and discussion. The analysis should also be linked to the larger world of popular culture through comparing it to other analyses in scholarly articles and readings/class discussion, and/or to similar phenomenon in popular culture. The description and analysis can be interwoven, but the perspective/theory should be discussed in general terms initially. This general discussion of the critical perspective/theory will be necessarily brief as there will not be enough room to go into great depth about the critical perspective, but, since it can’t be assumed that the reader is familiar with the perspective, it must be sufficiently summarized. I prefer that the analysis be focused to best allow depth concerning a specific aspect of the example referring to specific representative pieces from the text (your example) and directed by one particular critical perspective. In other words, I prefer depth and a narrow focus to a general and varied analysis. In organizing this project, refer to the discussions of Hinds and Kellner in terms of the dimension of popular culture any analysis should contain—content, context, audience analysis, subversion, etc. Groups should involve a systematic study of their “text.” In conducting a short study of this type, it will not be possible to develop all of these dimensions in depth, but the project should address all of them at least briefly while expanding on one or more aspects. The numerous examples of specific studies from the Storey book or the examples we studied in class should continually provide guidance into how to organize and conduct this project. Scholarly Writings: You should locate at least THREE scholarly writings (either books or articles from “refereed” or “peer reviewed” journals) that can assist in your analysis. These writings should either 1) discuss your topic or a similar topic, or 2) discuss popular culture from the theoretical perspective you will take in the analysis of your item. Your paper should integrate a brief review of these readings. Groups are responsible for the accuracy of their information, and all sources used must be included in the final submission. YOU MUST carefully cite all the information you obtain from other sources and use quotations when you directly quote another author’s words. Failure to do this is plagiarism. PROJECT PROPOSAL: 10 pts. This
stage involves the initial designing of your project.
Groups will meet both in
class and outside of class to brainstorm about possible project topics and
process.
Identify a topic for the
project, construct a preliminary description of them item/theme, identify
external sources, and begin to think about the ways you will analyze your
item, at least partially using one or more of the theoretical frameworks and
approaches discussed in the course. FORMAL RESEARCH ESSAY: 50 points Each group will prepare and turn in a research essay, collectively written, that reviews the project information and analysis (including how it relates to the course) and describes the process used to collect and analyze the information. NOTE: The essay is the primary focus in this project. The presentation, in essence, should be a presentation of your paper with visual assistance and discussion. The completion of the research essay should ensure your preparation for the presentation. The essay should be coherent, creative, grammatically correct, and insightful, and it should be constructed in a well-organized essay form. Above all, it should demonstrate your understanding of the topic you explored and how it relates to our sociological understanding of religion. From this Formal draft, I will grade you on the quality of the project and offer comments and suggestions for improvement and revisions. This essay will be revised in the Final Research Essay. However, at this point, your project should be as complete as possible as the bulk of your project points will be awarded here. Notice I said “Formal” draft, not rough draft and not first draft. This draft should reflect your first attempt at a final project, well beyond your first draft or a rough draft. All images and texts used as examples should be provided in paper format (printed images, song lyrics, outline of video clips, etc.). PRESENTATION: 20 points The presentation should communicate the information used to create the essay and should represent the essay. However, students should not read the essay in the presentation. The key is to enhance the learning experience. The students working on each project should necessarily learn something about the particular topic, and that is one important step. But I also find it important for students to teach other students and to share and disseminate their information effectively—that is what the presentation is about. The presentation should include a class discussion through which presenters generate discussion among the audience members and through which the audience has an opportunity to ask questions. The presentation should last 20-25 minutes, followed by 20 minutes (or so) for discussion. Each presentation should include visual assistance—e.g. PowerPoint, overheads, or other. All students from each group should be involved in the presentation in an active way. In addition to the presentation and discussion, groups will: -Distribute a one-page outline of the presentation (including sources) to each student in class on the day of the presentation -Turn in a detailed outline of the information and presentation, with sources, to the instructor -Turn in a printout of the PowerPoint slides, overheads or other visuals used if possible. -Prepare, use and turn in discussion questions to engage the audience FINAL RESEARCH PAPER: 20 points Your project at this point should be complete—including the incorporation of my comments and suggestions to the degree possible. All images and texts used as examples should be provided in BOTH paper format (from the draft stage) and media format (digital, original, VHS, etc.). You should also include your Formal Draft, with my comments. INDIVIDUAL EVALUATION: 0 points, BUT MUST BE DONE TO RECEIVE OTHER POINTS At the completion of the project, each student will turn in a brief evaluation of the project. Was this an effective learning tool? What were its strengths and weaknesses? ALSO: evaluate each group member’s contribution to the project—this will be kept confidential. EVALUATION This project will be evaluated on the degree to which the assignment requirements were met, the depth of knowledge disseminated, the organization and effectiveness of the presentation, and the creativity, individual delivery, and the quality of the written information. Students in each group MAY OR MAY NOT get the same grade, depending on the quality of their individual contributions to the presentation and the evaluations of their peers. Students should communicate with me concerning any issues with the project, the preparedness and progress of the group, and any problems with this collaborative effort. If any of these instructions are unclear or incomplete let me know in class, via email, or during my office hours. Good luck. NOTE: You should work to have your project included in the next issue of POP!
PRESENTATION DATES: April 17: My Space I: Mary, J.R., Tony My Space II: Kameron, Jerad, J.D. April 19: Tupperware: Kelsey, Alisa, Tecla, Brooke Reality TV: Adam, Miles, Christian, Elise April 24: Weddings: Andrea, April, Tara, Janel, Michelle F. Hollywood: Sean, James, Amanda, Jon May 1: Fashion: Alexis, Rachel, Lyndsey, Sally, Allison Media Consolidation: Chris Romance Novels: Michelle W.
PROJECT TOPICS: SP07 1: Fashion -Rachel, Sally, Alexis, Lyndsey, Allison 2: Social Networking/Simulated Identity/People -Jerad, Kam, J.R., J.D., Tony, Mary 3: Hollywood -Jon, James, Amanda, Sean 4: Reality T.V. -Elise, Christian, Adam, Miles? 5: To Be or To Be More: Weddings -April, Tara, Andrea, Janel, Michelle F. 6: Home Product Parties -Tecla, Kelsey, Brooke, Alisa
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