Response Assignment # 9

Readings/Viewings for Tuesday, April 7th:

• Read: Cowlishaw, Brian. “Playing War: The Emerging Trend of Real Virtual Combat in Currrent Video Games” (385-398). Common Culture Reader.
• Watch: “Grand Theft Auto IV – Trailer”
  

For this assignment, you have one of two choices for a response, as listed below. CHOOSE ONE and respond to any set of questions listed under each choice:
CHOICE ONE: Play a video game (either one you rent, one you or a friend already have, or go to a video game outlet), play it for a while, and then discuss, in your blog response how it reflects issues of gender, class, ethnicity, or culture.

Below are sets of questions — choose ONE set to respond to:

• If you chose a game with people in it, think about the following: consider the roles: were the people in the game baseball players, boxers, soldiers, etc.? What about ethnicities? What ethnicities did you identify? Who seems to have what role? – what color or gender, for example, are the “bad guys”?
  Who is the hero of the game? What did these people look like? – fat, skinny, muscular, tall, short . . . and what roles did each play? And how does any of this reflect popular or contemporary ideas around race, class, and/or gender?
• What was the goal of the game? To kill all your enemies? To get the gold? To win the race? What obstacles did you have to overcome in order to move from level to level or to win the game? How might any of this reflect contemporary culture (our ideas about success, what it takes to win, the “American” story or ideal, etc.)? In what ways was the game NOT like life?
• In what ways was the game totally fantasy-like or had elements that were not at all realistic of modern society? Perhaps these elements were of a past that no longer exist. And if so, how might that reflect a particular set of ideas in today’s culture; and if so, what?

CHOICE TWO: Answer any one set of the following questions:

• According to Cowlishaw, what is the relationship between realistic war games and first-person shooter (FPS) games? In what ways are they similar and/or different? Why do you think the author takes the time to discuss the differences between real and virtual experiences? What relevance does his discussion about virtual vs. real life experiences have on popular culture?
• Cowlishaw argues that video war games seek to mimic the “cinematic” experience of war. Why do you think video game producers do this? What does this suggest about popular culture?
• There has been a lot of debate around whether violent video games negatively influence children and young adults. How do you feel about this? Make an argument either way — and be sure to support your argument with logic and examples.

Reading Assignment for Thursday, April 3rd

Please read the following for Thursday’s class:

• Ehrenreich, Barbara. “The Cultural Influences of Television: Spudding Out” (146-149) Common Culture Reader.
• Samuels, Robert. “Keeping It Real: Why We Like to Watch Reality Dating Television Shows” (193-201) Common Culture Reader.

Also, please come to class having watched a recent episode of a reality television program (i.e. Biggest Loser, Survivor, I Love New York, Project Runway, The Bachelor, Wife Swap, or any other number of reality shows that are easily available on television).

* Be prepared to discuss your reality television show in relationship to the readings (and be prepared to be called upon).

Response Assignment #8

For next Tuesday, please read the following:

• Pollack, Sidney. “Film and American Culture: The Way We Are,” (523-533) Common Culture Reader.
• Minh-Ha Pham, “The Asian Invasion (of Multiculturalism) in Hollywood (543-564) Common Culture Reader.

Near the back of each reading are questions under the heading “Examining the Text.” Choose one set of questions from ONE reading to post here on the blog. You must answer all the questions in the set for full credit. Please also indicate which set of questions you are answering. Be prepared to discuss BOTH readings in class.

Assignment for Thursday, March 27th

For Thursday, please read the following:

• In Defence of the Natural Disaster Movie: The Day After Tomorrow, MC Reviews
• The end is near! Why disaster movies make sense (and dollars) in the ’90s.

Consider how any of the ideas/thoughts in these articles pertain to the film in class on Tuesday and be prepared to discuss.

Case Study Essay Due March 25th!

Hi folks — a few notes about the case study essays that are due upon your return to class (after Spring break):

• To see the guidelines, please go to the case study assignment on the class blog (obviously, ignore the date on that site — I’ve not had a chance to update it).
• To see a sample of an essay and how it should be formatted and example use of citations, go to the Sample Paper I have online. I’m showing this to you to help you format your paper — do NOT use this as an example of content (topic), though, as this was for a composition class I once taught — and the topic and approach is totally different.
• For information about how to cite your sources, I offer you the MLA Formatting and Style Guide from Purdue University, as I think it’s the best online site.

Reading Assignment for March 13th

For Thursday, please read the following:

• Roberts, Paul. “Sports, Stars, and Society” (481-491) Common Culture Reader.
• Dowell, William “Life on the Edge,” (491-499) Common Culture Reader.

For those of you behind in response assignments and/or would like extra credit, feel free to write a blog response to one or both of these readings (you can write about anything that strikes you or takes your attention). Otherwise, be prepared to discuss these readings in class on Thursday.

NO CLASS on Thursday, March 6th

I’m terribly sick with the flu, so I’m going to go ahead and cancel Thursday’s class. Please have the following ready for next Tuesday’s class.

No readings due for next Tuesday’’s class, but I do want each of you to locate at least one article that you intend to use for your case study. Your article must come from a reputable source — as discussed in class — and must specifically speak to a particular point you are trying to make within your case studies (supports your overall argument or idea). You should also REVISE your case study proposal. I’ll be pushing back the due date for the essay.

In addition to using the physical library, you can also utilize the online resources that Harold Washington’s library offers. I also encourage ALL students to use the writing center as a resource — to help you better form your ideas, to give you feedback on rough drafts, and to help you shape your essay.

You should come to class having read the article or essay, have a copy of it in hand, and be prepared to discuss and explain HOW the article or essay that you have found helps support your case study. This is part of your cumulative grade for the mid-term case study, so this is not an optional assignment.

If you have questions, feel free to email me.

Response Assignment #7

Readings/Viewings:

• Sullivan, Rachel. “Rap and Race: It’s Got a Nice Beat, But What About It’s Message?” Common Culture Reader, pg. 237-251.
• Chang, Jeff. “It’s A Hip-Hop World,” Foreign Policy, Nov/Dec. 2007 (handout).
• View: bell hooks, Pt8 Cultural Criticism (rap music)

Questions (choose from sets below):

1. Sullivan calls rap an “interracial socializer.” What does she mean by this term? What are the positive and negative consequences of using rap in this role? Do you think that rap has the power to bring people of different backgrounds together? and if so, why? how? (be sure to make reference to readings)

2. If you had been asked the same questions as those surveyed in “Rap and Race,” what would your answers have been? Would your responses be similar to those who responded? And how might your cultural background influence your responses? (Be sure to reference the readings).

3. Chang, in “It’s a Hip Hop World,” suggests that if you look beyond stereotypes, it’s clear that hip-hop culture has become one of the most far-reaching arts movements of the past three decades. Do you agree or disagree with this assessment, and why or why not? What arguments does Chang offer to support this argument? (Be sure to reference the readings).

4. Why do you think the article,”It’s a Hip Hop World,” would be in a foreign policy magazine? What impact do you think Hip Hop potentially has on foreign policy? (Be sure to reference the readings).

5. After reading both articles, why do you think that Hip Hop has become not just an American cultural phenomenon, but a global phenomenon? Explain, being sure to reference the readings.

6. After watching bell hook’s video on Rap music, would she agree or disagree with either of the authors? Why or why not? Be sure to make specific reference to both hooks’ comments on her video and the readings.

Case Study Proposal & Reading Assignment

Ok — for this Thursday, February, 28th, you have two assignments. The first is to write your case study proposal – following the guidelines covered in class and available at the link (above).

Second, please read/view the following for class discussion:

• Read: Engle, Gary. “What Makes Superman So Darned American?” (744-752) Signs of Life (handout).
• Watch: “Superman Tribute,” “Wonder Woman Spin Transformation,” and “Catwoman Attacks”

Please be prepared to talk about these readings and viewings in class.

Response Assignment # 6

For next Tuesday, please read/listen to the following:

• Read: Perry, Julie. “A Look at Urban Legends: the Gothic Outweighs the Enlightened”
• Listen to: Commentary: Living Urban Legends, NPR (National Public Radio)

Afterwards, choose your own urban legend to discuss (NOT one of the examples provided in the reading/NPR show). If you can’t think of one (and please provide the legend or its link), then you can visit any number of sites to find one, though this is a good one: http://www.snopes.com/. The reading also highlights numerous sources for urban legends at the bottom of the article.

Then, consider your chosen urban legend and discuss how it relates to any of the concepts, characteristics, or themes discussed in the reading. Here are some questions to get you started (and that illustrate how I want you to approach this assignment):

1. Perry suggests that urban legends usually “play to four main anxieties;” how so? And how does your legend speak to one or more of these anxieties? What is the effect? What does your legend suggest about culture or our cultural anxieties?

2. Perry also discusses the “theme of excess” that seems to thrive within urban legends. In what ways is your chosen urban legend excessive? What does this (or these) excesses potentially suggest about our contemporary culture, and why?

3. What role does gender play in urban legends, and how are those characteristics reflected within your chosen urban legend? Again, what might these types of urban legends suggest about culture or our attitudes? Elaborate on all of this using your own urban legend as an example.

* While some of what you discuss will certainly be your own suppositions or opinions, you MUST make reference to the reading and explain how some of the concepts discussed are relevant to your chosen urban legend.