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REQUIRED READINGS: Storey, John 2006. An Introduction to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture, 4nd ed. Athens: The University of Georgia Press. Selected Readings: As listed on course schedule and to be announced.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF LEARNING REQUIREMENTS
(see below for extended description of requirements): UNDERGRADUATE: Intellectual Curiosity: XX pts. (but essential for your
learning) Grade Scale: 90%-100% A 80%-89% B 70%-79% C 60%-69% D 59% and lower F GRADUATE STUDENTS: Total Points for Graduate Credit: 450 FULL DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENTS: A note on class assignments: Remember, success on the class assignments is not only a matter of completing what is required. Simple completion of the required assignment is expected and is "average." Average means a "C." The degree of successful completion is also a matter of how WELL you complete the requirements which involves, among other things, your choice of ideas, how you write about them (i.e. how well you explain their relevance to the course, how well you explain and expand course ideas, spelling, grammar, etc.), and your creativity and demonstration of the cultivation of thought. Good luck. Another note: If you have any questions or confusions about expectations for this course or the assignments either now or as the course moves along, please contact me for an explanation or discussion. DO NOT wait until the latter part or the end of the semester to discuss your grade, what you can do to improve, what my expectations are or any related issue. I will be much less sympathetic and receptive to your inquiries and efforts if you wait until the end of the semester. If you have confusions or struggles along the way, first reflect on your level of effort and commitment. Then, if you are still struggling or if you need further assistance, let me know and I will be happy to discuss your situation. Yet another note: Students are required to keep a digital and/or hard copy of ALL of their assignments and to re-submit them for grading if requested. One more note concerning Laptops: The use of a laptop in the classroom must be approved by the instructor. INTELLECTUAL
CURIOSITY & COLLABORATION: XX
pts. = Potentially unlimited but non-quantifiable rewards Curiosity is an essential component of the learning experience. It prepares one for learning, motivates the pursuit of learning, and enhances satisfaction from learning beyond the credits and grades that the bureaucracy values, requires, and encourages. Thus, students are required to demonstrate, through their approach to the class material, the ability to expand their critical thinking and open their minds. Students in this class are expected to cooperate in and contribute to the learning process, that is, to participate in intellectual collaboration and discovery. ATTENDANCE, PARTICIPATION, AND PREPARATION: READ THIS! Because
students are expected to participate in creating an environment most
conducive to learning for themselves and for other students, attendance in
this class is required. This
course will rely heavily on discussions of the readings and class topics
and attendance will be taken daily. Students
should do the readings for the day before they come to class and be
prepared to contribute to the discussions. Attendance
in this class is required, and role will be taken every day.
Constructive and inquisitive participation is expected.
This includes but is not limited to: being prepared for class by
having completed the readings by the day they are required; asking and
answering questions in class; respecting the thoughts, ideas, comfort and
privacy of others; listening when other students speak; refraining from
any disruptive behavior; continuously considering how one’s behavior is
affecting the quality of the learning environment; respecting and the
culture of the classroom; conducting oneself in a professional and
constructive manner at all times; paying attention in class; demonstrating
curiosity; responding professionally when you are questioned or asked to
elaborate; founding your interactions on informed positions, etc. The
quality of students' preparedness, in-class contributions and attendance
record are components of the participation assessment.
Miscellaneous assignments may count as part of students’
participation points. Students will have a grace of 2 absences.
For each additional absence, 5 points will be deducted.
Excused absences count toward these two.
If a student must miss more than two classes because of university
functions, other arrangements may be made.
After points have been deducted for absences, the remainder of a
student’s attendance/participation points will be awarded by the
instructor according to the manner in which the student participates and
prepares for class, and contributes to a constructive educational
experience for other class members. This
policy is not intended to make student life difficult. It is based on my
teaching philosophy. While
graded assignments are one measure of success in the learning process,
they are limited in what they measure and are not the exclusive measure of
a student’s learning experience. I
believe that learning takes place in the classroom during coverage of
course material, for instance in discussions, that may not lend itself
directly to effective quantification and measurement.
Some days during class, student questions, current events, or
digressions will lead us to pursue topics and directions not explicitly
intended by or anticipated in course curriculum. These forays in pursuit of curiosity, wonder, debate, and the
general interconnectedness of the human social and psychological world are
nonetheless important aspects of learning.
The forays stretch the mind, challenge students to critically
think, create new frameworks of thought, explore connections between a
diverse range of topics and connect these topics to the course focus.
Because these forays break with the linear and rational educational model
we are used to and have all been successful with, they can potentially
lead to student frustrations concerning the basic issue of “will I need
to know this for the exam?” or “what from this discussion do I NEED to
know?” They don’t lend
themselves to the memorization and regurgitation model of “learning”
that often underlies much of our education process.
This is a model we have all had at least moderate success with or
we would not be studying at this level.
It is often the only model of learning we associate with education
and it is the model that rewards are often meted out on.
However, the answer is usually in these cases—all of it and none
of it. On the one hand, you
don’t NEED to “know” any of it.
What you need to have is the capacity to think outside the confines
of a curriculum, the ability to follow and pursue a line of thinking, and
the ability to remain engaged in dialogue (either orally or internally).
These abilities are exercised and cultivated by participating in
digressions and thought journeys such as those we will engage in this
course from time to time. It
is inevitable, given my teaching style, the diversity of student thoughts
and questions, the complexity of the human social world, and the
interconnectivity of the ideas and topics we engage when we delve into the
human constructed environment and reality.
On the other hand, you need to “know” all of what is discussed.
You need to know about connectivity and how to connect.
You need to know how to reason, evaluate, explore, and exhaust a
line of thinking. You need to
know how to get back to where you started, to return home, and you need to
be able to remember the path you took so you can either revisit it or
avoid it in further explorations of thought.
I will do my best to structure assignments to reflect and measure
this type of learning, but it is not always possible or complete.
Therefore, I rely on attendance to encourage this type of learning
and to provide the opportunity for it to happen.
Attendance in the class in no way assures that the student will
participate in the learning adventure on a day to day, or minute to minute
basis, but it is one part the instructor can control to best construct an
environment in which thinking can happen and be cultivated.
You can lead a horse to water… Thus, my philosophy encourages me
to ensure you at least have the opportunity to participate in this
creative process of learning and discovery.
Attendance requirements are part of creating that opportunity. By
remaining in this course you are agreeing to contribute to creating a
classroom environment conducive to learning and, therefore, to participate
in intellectual collaboration as outlined above.
Students behaving contrary to this requirement will be informed
and/or asked to leave the classroom or the course in general. READING SUMMARIES AND REFLECTIONS (S&R): Students must complete S&Rs. If students complete more than the required number, I will DROP their LOWEST S&R scores. Each S&R is worth 20 points. S&R for readings are due the first class day of the week the readings are assigned. For this course, this means each TUESDAY if readings are assigned that week. NOTE: The total points for Summaries and Reflection may be adjusted upward at the instructor’s discretion. A NOTE ON NOTE TAKING: One useful technique for understanding a body of reading is to take notes concerning important points, concepts, ideas, questions raised, critique, and personal responses as you read. The notes should reflect the structure/outline of the reading, indicate subsections, and contain explanations, concepts, definitions, main ideas, personal comments and questions, etc. This note-taking technique helps readers to recall vital information upon completing the reading and serves to help the reader get a better sense of the overall structure, argument, and/or discussion of the reading. Once the reading is completed for the first time, the student can review the reading, using the notes as a guide, and construct a summary statement, in the student’s own words, about the reading. S&R: For each week of readings, students are required to turn in single-spaced, typed S&R for the readings at the beginning of the class on the first class day of the week readings are assigned. The S&R should be around 2 single-spaced, typed page, and should consist of: 1: SUMMARY: Several sentences/paragraphs identifying the primary claims or themes of the readings and indicating their significance for the course or course topics. The summary should provide an overview, discuss how readings relate to one another, and comment on how they relate to overall framework of course. This part of the summary should give the reader a good idea the major details of main points and a sense of the “bigger picture” of the readings. The argument content and form are important, and inform your thoughts, reflections & critique. I should get the sense that you follow the argument/main claims of the readings. 2: REFLECTIONS: Something about your informed thoughts/reflections/related issues, what you found interesting, questions you have, brief critique and foundations, links to your experience, etc. (You can also comment on course discussion if you would like). Any critique of the readings, which are encouraged, must be informed, reasonable, supported, substantive, etc. Comments such as “This reading is boring” or an unsupported “I don’t agree/It’s wrong” do not constitute a critique in this sense and should not be found in your summary. 3. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: You should include TWO well-thought discussion questions at the end of your summary. These questions should be such that they could be used in class to generate fruitful discussion concerning the main topics of the readings—or extend the main topics of the readings. Overall, the Summary & Reflection should demonstrate your engagement with the reading, your ability to extract main ideas from the readings, your writing skills, and your curious exploration of course material. REMEMBER: the summary is to be treated as a formal essay in that you MUST use citations when you make use of the author’s words. Use quotes if words are taken directly and cite, with page numbers, both the direct quotes and paraphrased passages. I suggest that, even in your notes, you include quotation marks when you copy phrases or sentences directly from the readings--this will help prevent you from misusing them later.
Various potential strategies for summaries:
-Extensive comment
-Analysis of one of the readings in terms of the other(s)
-Extensive links to experience, current events
-Critique and questions -All necessitate some brief review of the readings to contextualize the rest of the essay This requirement may seem at first glace to be a laborious “assignment” over and above the assignment of reading required materials. However, if one holds the perspective that the notes/summary are actually part of the practice of reading thoroughly and should be done for adequate comprehension whether or not they are required to be handed in, one can clearly recognize that the requirement of handing in S&Rs is simply part of the process of reading assigned materials. *S&Rs are not just an exercise. Aside from the learning value, consider them not unlike an essay question on an exam in the sense that I am interested in how WELL you can extract and summarize main points and comment on them. This goes beyond simply completing and putting effort into the S&Rs. *S&Rs should connect/integrate the readings for the week if there is more than one reading assigned—this will take some thought.
CHALLENGES: There will be several challenges worth varying points (to be specified when assigned). Challenges engage students in the exploration of ideas involving material from lectures, discussions, readings, films, and independent investigation. They may take various forms ranging from in-class quizzes and essay responses to take-home essays, projects/presentations, and group projects. Students are responsible to know the general content and form of any class discussion, however cursory it may seem. NOTE: Challenges in the form of quizzes or other in-class assignments may be unannounced. Except in the instance of a pre-arranged excused absence or emergency situations, missed challenges cannot be made up and late challenges will not be accepted. In the case of an emergency and students are unable to give prior notice of absence, they are required to contact the instructor within 24 hours. Students may make contact by e-mail or office phone. The
challenges students will complete will likely include (but subject to
change):
PC Quizzes (unannounced) I
will post further information on these specific challenges on the
"Challenges" page as they are assigned. ONE
LAST NOTE: My teaching
philosophy holds that if students attend class, prepare through reading
and thinking, and participate in discussions and questions with
professionalism and an open mind, they will learn the content and relevant
application of the course materials.
Thus, I put a high emphasis on attendance, reading, and
participation. The challenges
affirm, develop and apply that knowledge and projects link experience in
the “real world” with the course material.
This, of course, is contingent on the condition that the class
provides the content and an environment conducive to learning—I will do
my part to ensure that this happens.
Do your part, prepare for class, be curious, and engage your world,
and you will benefit a great deal from this course. GRADUATE STUDENTS: Additional Requirements
for Students Taking This Course for Graduate Credit: Scholarly
Article Presentation: 30 pts. Graduate
students will locate, read, critique, and present a relevant article on
popular culture from a scholarly journal. They will also lead a discussion
and field questions in class concerning the article.
These presentations will be scheduled according to the relevance of
the article selected. Articles
must be appropriate for the class and approved by the instructor.
The article and a written summary of the presentation will be
handed in one week after the presentation and must incorporate any
significant points that arise during the in-class discussion.
Graduate students are responsible for finding an article in a
timely manner and preparing for the presentation with appropriate timing
concerning the class. This
presentation should follow genuine curiosity and be completed by the 11th
week of class. The article you present and the book you review, should provide starting points for your final project analysis. The article and book review, in other words, should be integral steps in the process of creating your final project. Choose your article carefully, with this in mind, and incorporate it into your final project. Book
Review: 30 pts. Graduate
students will locate, read, and review one recent scholarly book on
popular culture. As a
background for writing this review, students will need to read 3 academic
book reviews of popular culture books (only one of which can be about the
same book the students chose). The
student’s review must be of near-publishable quality and link the book
to class materials. The
instructor will encourage the students to consider submitting the review
to a scholarly journal for consideration for publication.
The instructor will assist in selecting a book if needed and
students must meet with the instructor during office hours for approval on
the book selected following a discussion of its relevance.
The written review, along with copies of the 3 reviews the students
read, should be submitted by the 11th week of the course. The book you review should provide strong foundations for the type of analysis you apply in your final project. You must incorporate material from the book you review in support of the analysis in your final paper. Choose your book carefully. Presentation
of Popular Culture Analysis Project: 40 pts. Graduate
students will be expected to complete the same Analysis of Popular Culture
Project as the undergraduate students, but they will be required to
present their findings in a professional and instructive manner to the
entire class. Also, this
project must be of high enough quality to:
-Be considered for possible journal submission
-Be incorporated into teaching in a class of this POP! Graduate students will be expected to assist with the ongoing
editing and expansion of POP! (Both the journal and the website). Note on evaluation of graduate work: I expect students taking this course for graduate credit to produce and participate at a graduate level of excellence and engagement. The learning products of students taking this course for graduate credit will be evaluated according to the standards of graduate level work. This includes written work and presentations. It also applies to participation. Graduate students are expected to participate in and generate discussions, ask questions, respond to questions, etc. as if the course were a graduate seminar. Graduate students are expected to be fully prepared for class at all times.
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