Learning Resources

Required Readings

Paglia, C. (2012). George Lucas’s force. In Glittering images: A journey through art from Egypt to Star Wars (pp. 181–190). London: Vintage. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Why-George-Lucas-Is-the/134942
Camille Paglia is a cultural and social critic. In this excerpt from her book Glittering Images, Paglia discusses the role of art in society. She asserts that George Lucas is one of the greatest artists of today. The reading discusses how Lucas’s storytelling gave rise to technological developments that extended far beyond the limits of movie making and ultimately were adopted by other industries. Using a specific scene from Revenge of the Sith, Paglia analyzes the use of color, music, technology, and storytelling and classifies the scene as great art.

The following websites may be helpful throughout this course by demonstrating ways of analyzing pop culture texts as artifacts.

Critical Media Project. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://criticalmediaproject.org/

Pop Matters. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.popmatters.com

USC Annenberg. (2014). Media, diversity, & social change initiative. Retrieved from http://annenberg.usc.edu/pages/DrStacyLSmithMDSCI#previousresearch

Required Media

TED2010. (2010, March 17). Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 20 minutes.
This talk presents compelling evidence on how popular culture in the form of gaming could be harnessed to solve real world problems.

TED2019. (2019, April). Danielle N. Lee: How hip-hop helps us understand science [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/danielle_n_lee_how_hip_h…

Discussion: Popular Culture, Individuality, and Global Reach
The United States often has been labeled a cultural imperialist* power because of the successful export of culture that is popular within the United States. American movies, television, and music can be seen and heard in most urban areas around the globe. Cultural imperialism sometimes is perceived as a form of bullying. Some countries, such as France, actively resist the prevalence of American culture and even enact laws and policies to protect native culture.
Large-scale distribution and consumption of culture raises the question of what role individuals play in supporting global distribution of popular culture. Is the shared experience more valuable than diversity of expression? Can a single person change popular culture? How does an individual protect his or her own values in a pop culture world?
This week, you consider your individual role in creating and consuming popular culture.
By Day 3
Post a 250-word response in which you address the following:
Describe a time when you were surprised by something that was considered popular but that was new to you. Analyze whether or not you consider yourself to be an active participant in popular culture. Explain your analysis.
If you could create a popular culture artifact and provide universal access to it, describe what message you might embed in this artifact or whether you would avoid any specific message. Explain your response.
Be sure to support your ideas by connecting them to the week’s Learning Resources.
By Day 5
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
Respond to at least two of your colleagues’ postings that contain a perspective different from yours.
Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of your colleagues’ comments.
*Cultural imperialism is a term describing the imposition of one nation’s culture on another, usually less powerful, region or country. It is derived from the idea of political imperialism where a powerful nation controls a less powerful—economically or technologically—region.
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