Topics in Pop Culture January 2014 Ms. Shen Pop. Culture Mid-term Study Guide The mid-term exam will count for 10-20% of your first semester grade. Reminders: The exam is on Tuesday, January 21 st at 8AM. Location: o Nick (LINK) o Josh (REACH) Please bring a #2 pencil for the scantron portion of the exam. Between now and the end of classes January 15 th, you should be sure that you are not missing any notes, handouts, study guides, etc. If you are missing anything, check the website or ask a classmate to copy their notes. We will spend 2 ½ days in class reviewing for the exam. The more you have studied at that point, the more effective the review session/time will be to you. Between now and the end of classes, I would suggest that you at least read over the essay questions and begin thinking about how you might outline the essays. If you are so inclined, you may outline them completely. Extra Help: I will be available for extra help as always during blocks 1, 4 and 7 or before/after school by appointment. If you would like to meet to review one-on-one before the exam, I would strongly encourage you to make an appointment sooner rather than later as there is only one of me and many of you! I will also be available during exam week to review as well. The mid-term exam will consist of some combination of the following: matching, multiple choice, and 1 essay There is no new material on the exam. The units covered include our Intro to Pop. Culture & Celebrity, Rise of Hollywood Film, Pop. Culture during the Great Depression, and WWII. 1
Section III: Essay In Section III, you will be asked to write a full exam essay. In preparation for the essay, you are allowed to: BRING IN THE ATTACHED OUTLINE for the essay to use during the essay portion of the exam. You may only write in outline form you cannot have a pre-written essay. You may, however, write out your thesis and topic sentences. Otherwise, everything should be in note form only. You will hand in this outline with your exam. I will be grading your essay on the following components: 1. The essay demonstrates careful preparation using specific examples and quotes when appropriate. 2. The essay is carefully organized, is easy to follow and is fairly well-written. 3. The essay has an introduction with a clear thesis statement AND 3 body paragraphs which include information on at least 3 different units we covered this semester. Figure 1: A WORD OF CAUTION - DO NOT THINK THIS APPROACH WILL WORK! Essay Question: In what way do popular heroes and celebrities highlight and represent American values? In answering this question, be sure to BOTH explain what values Americans hold dear (i.e., patriotism, individualism, etc.) AND then consider the ways in which popular heroes/celebrities speak to those values. Using your notes from the semester, find at least 3 specific, detailed instances of popular figures who represent American values. These examples should be drawn from different units we have studied. 2
Key Terms and Concepts While I would not focus exclusively on terms, you should be familiar with all of the following terms as well as any other concepts or events you have in your notes. Intro to PC & Celebrity Popular culture Mass culture Consumerism Sociology High culture Folk culture Celebrity Celebrity culture Hero Icon Horatio Alger Hero of Deed Media-created Hero Lizzie Borden Harry Thaw Fatty Arbuckle Leopold & Loeb Lindbergh kidnapping Rise of Hollywood Film (1920s): Thomas Edison Nickelodeons Walt Disney DW Griffith Talkies Charlie Chaplin Studio system Vertical integration Star system Wallace Reid Clara Bow Morality clause Will Hays Hays Formula Pop. Culture in the 1930s: Great Depression Golden Age of Radio Fireside Chats War of the Worlds Betty Boop Shirley Temple Dick Tracy Joe Louis Mae West Bonnie & Clyde Pop. Culture During WWII: America First Committee Charles Lindberg Isolationism Captain America Superman Batman Life magazine 3
Key Questions and Concepts Intro to PC & Celebrity: 1. What is popular culture? What does it include? 2. What value exists in the study of popular culture? Be able to provide 2-3 specific examples of how studying a particular aspect of popular culture is worthwhile. 3. When did America s celebrity obsession begin AND how has it evolved over time? (Consider how the types of people elevated to celebrity status changed over time.) 4. How has modern media (phonograph, radio, film, television, internet) shaped the role of and attention given to celebrities in American society? 5. What are some of the theories as to why Americans are so drawn to celebrities and celebrity stories? In your opinion, which of these theories have merit and which do not? 6. How have American heroes changed over time? (Heroes of deed vs. media created characters) You should be able to cite a few examples for each type and explain why they are examples of one or the other. 7. Explain the interest in celebrity crime and the role that the media plays in celebrity crime coverage. Rise of Hollywood Film (1920s): 1. Explain the origins and evolution of film in the late 19 th and early 20 th century. 2. What was appealing about early silent films? To whom were they primarily marketed and why? 3. How did the shift in audiences around 1910 impact the film industry? 4. What was the theater-going experience like for patrons in the 1920s-1940s? 5. Be able to explain the rise of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s. a. In what ways did the rise of Hollywood resemble changes taking place in American industry at the same time? b. Explain how the studio system operated. c. In what ways did studios exert control over the lives of the stars? Be able to support your response with specific examples. 6. What impact did film have on society in the first decades of the 20 th century? 7. What changes in the 1920s prompted the implementation of morality standards and the Hays Formula? 8. How did the Hays Formula and state censorship efforts attempt to reform the film industry? 4
Pop. Culture in the 1930s: 1. Changing economic circumstances profoundly transformed popular culture from the 1920s to the 1930s. Provide several specific examples of the ways in which culture shifted in this time period. 2. How did American popular culture in the 1930s feed Americans need for heroes? Support with 2 specific examples. 3. During the Great Depression, Americans desperately needed a mental break from the reality of their daily lives. Popular entertainment offered this break. What were some of the ways Americans found release? (Be able to provide at least 2 specific, detailed examples to support your response.) 4. Radio: a. Trace the evolution of the radio prior to WWI through to the 1920s. b. What impact did the Depression have on radio? c. Radio served both an entertainment and news function. Be able to provide several detailed examples of radio doing both of these things. d. How did WWII impact the growth and importance of radio news in the U.S. in the mid- 1930s and early 1940s? 5. Why did many people believe the War of the Worlds broadcast in 1938? Consider both the techniques used in this radio broadcast and the larger historical context of the time. Pop. Culture During WWII: 1. What made comic book heroes like Captain America, Superman, and Batman appealing to many Americans in the 1930s and 1940s? (Consider each character s origins, storyline, and attributes.) 2. How were each of the superheroes studied a reflection of the times? (Also consider how the characters changed to meet the changing times.) 3. What values, social norms and expectations were conveyed weekly in Life magazine s pages? 4. Explain the psychology behind the need for a common enemy. How does having a shared enemy help to make people feel safer? 5. Why is it strategically important to create and define clear enemies during wartime? 6. How did images of the enemy in films, posters and comics contribute to widespread racism and negative stereotyping in the WWII era and beyond? 7. Public opinion about war changes over time, and pop culture reflects these changes both directly and indirectly. Explain this statement and support it with several specific examples. 5
ESSAY OUTLINE INTRO PARAGRAPH: INTRODUCE THE TOPIC What is the general topic of this essay? (Remember, you want to start your intro broad and get more narrow/focused as you go on.) What general information does the reader need about this topic? (What is the topic being discussed? What information is needed to give the reader enough background to understand the topic?) What are America s values? What principles historically do Americans cherish? Thesis: 6
BODY PARAGRAPH #1: (Unit #1: ) What is the topic of this paragraph? (Sum up the topic/purpose of the paragraph in 1 sentence:) EVIDENCE (include at least 1 SPECIFIC, DETAILED example to support your argument): EXAMPLE: Details about the person/cultural hero/celebrity: time: Explanation of how this person/figure highlights and embodies American values at the 7
BODY PARAGRAPH #2: (Unit #2: ) What is the topic of this paragraph? (Sum up the topic/purpose of the paragraph in 1 sentence:) EVIDENCE (include at least 1 SPECIFIC, DETAILED example to support your argument): EXAMPLE: Details about the person/cultural hero/celebrity: time: Explanation of how this person/figure highlights and embodies American values at the 8
BODY PARAGRAPH #3: (Unit #3: ) What is the topic of this paragraph? (Sum up the topic/purpose of the paragraph in 1 sentence:) EVIDENCE (include at least 1 SPECIFIC, DETAILED example to support your argument): EXAMPLE: Details about the person/cultural hero/celebrity: time: Explanation of how this person/figure highlights and embodies American values at the 9