Psychological Novel Discussion: Day 2; Pop Culture; Star Trek (1960s)

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LAB:

Food for Thought: Perfect Grades Don't Always Matter (5 min.)

Please take the first 20 minutes of class today to discuss your novel in your discussion groups. When you complete your discussion, please turn in the Socratic Seminar evaluation and work on your portfolio pieces. You may return your books to the library. By now you should have somewhere between 5-8 pages of new work (that would be averaging about 1-2 pages per week.) If you don't, please use your time effectively in the lab to write new material for your portfolio. See previous posts for prompts if you need them.

Note: you may also workshop or revise your work. Next lab class will be devoted to workshopping.

Period 2:

What is Popular Culture?

Popular culture studies popular culture from a critical theory perspective. It is generally considered a combination of communication studies and cultural studies.

Barriers between so-called high and low culture have broken down, which encompasses such diverse media as comic books, television, mass media, and the Internet.
  • Popular Culture: Popular culture is the accumulated store of cultural products such as music, art, literature, fashion, dance, film, television, mass media, radio, political ideology, etc. that are consumed primarily by non-elite groups such as the working, lower, and middle class. Name some popular culture items that you consume... 
  • Counter Culture: a way of life, a set of attitudes or a group of people whose ideas and values are different than the mainstream accepted beliefs. Name some ways you engage or have encountered counter-culture...
  • Trash Culture: typically media (but any consumable product) that is aimed at the lowest intellectual group of a society. It is generally characterized as anti-progressive, stupid, low brow, or trashy.
  • Fads: a thing that becomes very popular in a short amount of time, and then is forgotten at about the same speed. Name a fad that you might have followed when you were younger...
  • Progressive Evolution: the process of a gradual change or development in a culture's institutions or social/economic structures. How might popular culture and its trends have affected your identity or core beliefs as of this moment?
The theory of progressive evolution:

Capitalist economies create opportunities for every individual to participate in a culture which is fully democratized through mass education, expansion of leisure time and cheap entertainment, media, and paperbacks. In this liberal view, popular culture (low culture) does not threaten high culture but is an authentic expression of the needs of the people.

(15 Min.) In groups of 3-5, please discuss ideas for the following. Together, brainstorm a list of popular culture topics that go along with each category. You may wish to discuss: movies or celebrities that are popular, dance moves, internet memes, video games, technology, fashion, retro styles, food trends, and so on.

 Use your notes to help you identify these terms.
  • Pop or Media Icons
  • Fads
  • Technology
  • Sports/Leisure Activities
  • Music
  • Fashion
  • Food or lifestyle
  • Counterculture
  • Trash culture
After coming up with a list of about 20 or more, discuss how broad reaching and influential these topics are in our society.
  • Do these topics change the way we see the world? 
  • Which ones are more important or influential? 
  • Do these topics affect only a certain hegemonic group, or are they more invasive or inclusive than that? 
  • How might popular culture and its trends have affected your identity or core beliefs as of this moment? How are you who you are because of popular culture?
For the next few days, look for items or topics to add to your list. What's popular right now on television, in film, books, media, technology, food, fashion, fads, sports, games, lifestyle, music, internet, etc. Explore. Write about anything...

 TV Pop Culture Spotlight: (20 min.)
Star Trek: Pilot "The Cage" script PDF
Star Trek Writers/Director's Guide

HOMEWORK: None. Feel free to view/read any information from the links for ideas.

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