Pop Culture
undertake a deep, critical analysis of an object, person, place, or practice from current popular culture.
Objects from mass media (T.V. shows, advertising campaigns, questionable “news” coverage, etc.) will work well. You could also look at trends outside of mass media (behaviors such as those associated with new technologies, consuming, dating, etc.)
Once you’ve found your topic, your paper will require a structure.
1. Introduction and Summary: These paragraphs are intended to let your readers know what your topic is and where this paper is going. Little analysis is necessary for this section as you will be focused on presenting pertinent facts to the reader.
2. Deep Analysis (middle section): Dissect your object. Get to the heart of the matter. This is where your research will inform your paper and provide authority to your voice. Many scholars critique pop culture, so you will need to find sources to summarize or paraphrase.
3. Conclusion: Explain the implications of your analysis as it applies to society. For example, sports celebrations often turn violent. If you’ve written about post-game violence, what does it say about sports in America? Or entertainment in America?
