Hum/176 Syllabus

Media and technology have been known to grow and spread at an unbelievable rate. Over time, media affects the way people in a society think and directs current trends in pop culture. Technology constantly allows for easier methods of doing things. An example of something that has grown very popular over time is video games. One of the first games was Pong, a game involving a ball that bounces across the screen. Comparing this to today’s high-definition role-playing games that most every child, teen, and young adult owns is a large shift. Film is also a growing media. The concept of moving pictures on a screen was mind-blowing when first introduced and is now second nature. It is commonplace because most people these days are already born with

Learning about pop culture truly frightened me when I saw the book we were utilizing at the beginning of the semester. Having been without television for more than 10 years now, I suspected I wouldn’t know much. Being a single parent amid this time gave me an opportunity to see this present era progress through the technological advances of our time, and interestingly, my age placed me in pop culture arena’s that the more youthful era doesn’t even think about. Our book, “Signs of Life in the USA” was splendid at addressing such a variety of products, movies, television, spaces, semiotic multiculturalism, alongside the gender and sexual societal rational to name a few. The transition back to school after 40+ years has given me some shock in the amount of openness and evaluation of actually any subject, religion to politics. Since these are places I refrain to go into conversation with others on the planet, to have my opportunity of opinions gives me a protective feeling with the

Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents:

Each student will write a report and lead the class in a discussion on Canvas that covers the selected topic related to mass media (above).  Specific examples and details will be provided on Canvas. The points will also be earned through a combination of discussions and responses to Discussion Facilitator reports meant to help you further connect course concepts to your life during the quarter. Students must respond to all peer reports in a timely manner. The report will be included in the Individual Website.

They appeal to multiple generations of viewers, providing a common experience. The tradition of winning and losing in the competition based on personal actions became the viewers job to decide. The acceptance and celebration of those that were not the typical performer challenged stereotypes and social norms. Moreover, it has provided a path that is based on the individual’s acceptance by the group, not just on the hard work of the individual. America’s Got Talent and The Voice are following the lead of American Idol. Reality Television allows for home viewers to imagine what is possible. Popular Art reflects the era, communities and social normative of its

Before one can effectively study popular culture, they must first develop a working definition of what that is. This is difficult to do as scholars have been unable to develop a common definition; resulting in the term having several different meanings. This is because the terms “popular” and “culture” have so many different meanings individually, the combination of the terms leaves a large amount of space for interpretation. In the textbook “Cultural Theory and Popular Culture” John Storey lays out the six most common definitions of popular culture this exposition will explore the definition and apply it to the popular culture artifact “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” a television show created by Joss Whedon.

So far, this course has opened my eyes to the significance of being educated about the history of media and how it is evolving. Not only that, but, how producers try to persuade us in to thinking about certain things. It is so much more beneficial to my own being to be educated and aware of what the media sources are providing for my entertainment. Thank you to my professor, Dr. Butler Cain, for helping me come to a realization of how important convergence, print media, and radio are to our media-centered

According to Rethinking Popular Culture and Media, popular culture is the Polaroid snapshot or Facebook photo page that documents our lives in the social world; it is the backdrop of day to day life. The role of web/technology provides all the shared popular culture experience. Children are the targeted audience. Children ages 2-11 see at least 25,000 advertisements on TV alone, a figure that does not include product placement. (Marshall, Sensoy, Para 3,2011) Whereas media of previous generations may have referred to newspaper, magazines and books, today’s media includes an explosion of online/global networking systems (Twitter, Facebook, Bebo, YouTube). With society having numerous ways to see and share popular culture, access through so many

Although many individuals have argued that pop culture does not belong in academia, closer examination will show that pop cultures are useful for better understandings and making connections between the real-world and curriculum, as well as critically studying the underlying assumptions of how individuals’ identities are shaped, and how it influences society.

In the text, “Popular Culture” by David Pattie talks about the programs in television, affairs going on around the world and the intersection between popular

In an examination of the role of audiences in culture, several key terms must first be established. The definition of 'culture' discussed in this research is 'culture as a particular way of life' and 'as signifying practices' (Williams, 1983). 'Active participants' refers to people who can 'freely and consciously exercise decision-making capacities' when it comes to their interpretation of culture and cultural products (Kirchberg, 2007). Structuralism, is defined as a way of understanding how 'all texts ... and all signifying practices can be analysed for their underlying structures' (Phillips, 2013). I will first examine structuralism in relation to popular culture.

Media have played both positive and negative effects on different consumers, including myself. The way I use media now is different from back in 2009 when I was a freshman in High school. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for the effect of my friends, society, and the media have all had on me. Social Media has altered the way I understand relationships and personal information, which makes it difficult for me or any users to fully understand the consequences of a world where the private is now public. Youtube and WorldstarHipHop have play a role in those consequences and this two medium represents me and my everyday live.

In our everyday lives, we are under the influence of consuming media and popular culture; they shape us to become who we are today which we now call it as our identity. Media and popular culture include: music, TV shows, the internet, and even the most recent fashion trend. Therefore, these are some examples from the media and popular culture that had increasingly affected my personal and social life in America since most people utilize them daily.

It is undeniable that the society is experiencing a mediated culture, where mass media have direct effects on our society. Newspapers, magazines, radios, and televisions constantly give out messages to promote products, attitudes, and ideas in an attempt to influence audiences. The effect is further enhanced when digital media, particularly the Internet, enters the competition for the limited supply of audience attention. The saturated mass media industry no longer has the benefit of reach it used to have, especially with millennials, in this attention economy filled with fragmented audiences (Webster & Ksiazek 2012). More businesses and marketers have turned their efforts to digital media to influence consumers (Mulhern 2009). Therefore

Indeed, the pervasiveness of media in its abundant forms in contemporary US culture is undeniable. Almost everywhere one looks, one can find forms of media; a magazine at a doctor’s office, a billboard alongside a freeway, a painting at an art gallery, a performance on television or on stage. Media, undeniably, is ubiquitous. However, in all the innumerous forms media comes to us in, every one of these forms is created for a single purpose; to communicate an idea or message. Thus, it the individual’s ability to interpret these forms and decipher their meaning has become critical. But how are students, as well as educators, supposed to interact and interpret media? Propitiously, just as with any subject of study, one must become