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Syllabus Research Methods Assign 1 Assign 2 Assign 3 480: Pop Culture : Assignment 2 This assignment should be no less than 8 and no more than 11 pages. It must be typed (double spaced) and include appropriate citations and bibliography. If appropriate references are not included, the assignment will not be accepted. The final assignment is due on November 14th, draft on November 7th. No late papers! Please hand in the first paper (the one I wrote my comments on) along with this assignment. Your objective in this portion of the ongoing paper is the following: The primary objective is to provide rich details of the practice/object you are discussing. You should regard this assignment as the data collection phase of the term project. Hence, the richer your materials the better. I am explicitly interested in the following things: 1) Your method; how you have selected, collected, observed, and organized your materials. Be sure to include an explicit discussion of just how -- interviews, observations, textual analysis-- you have generated the materials you report in this assignment. Give me examples of things people say, do, etc. Don’t just say 4 people said they never think about the meaning of x, while six said they do think about meaning. Instead, to the extent possible, give me quotes, etc. Remember, at this point, you don’t need to analyze what people say, do, etc. you need to paint me a rich picture of what they do and say. 2) Be explicit about the features and characteristics of the practice. This includes: The location(s) in which the practice, commodity, is present; Paying attention to the social location(s) where your practice/commodity is present is very important. It sets you up to really begin exploring some of the politics, or social relations, that might be wrapped up within, or "activated" by your cultural form. The people(s) who engage in this practice; This includes understanding these subjects as located racially, in a class system, gendered, as urban dwellers, etc. It is important that you describe who they are – paint me a verbal picture. (For example… there were approximately twenty people in the room, they were mostly white folks, between the ages of x-y. Clothing tended to consist of…most of the people identify themselves as coming from "middle-class" background…) Talk about how this practice changes, the different forms it takes (or consumption of commodity) as it moves from location to location. I.e. how is this practice/commodity employed differently for different peoples, or how do the meanings that are socially "activated" change/transform as the practice moves from site to site. This is a question of the "uses" to which various audiences put the practice or commodity; that is, what are the various importances, meanings, etc. that people who engage in this practice/consumption attach to it. 3) Finally, make sure that you demonstrate whatever notions of pleasure, meaning, experiences exist in this practice - that is SHOW ME, paint me a picture of where pleasure lies, what the meanings are, and how they are communicated. What makes things "fun," "exciting" "relaxing?" draw this out not by providing just your analysis of this, or your interpretation, but what OTHERS say about the practice. YOU DO NOT NEED TO REITERATE ALL OF THE THINGS YOU SAID IN YOUR FIRST PAPER. THIS PAPER IS YOUR DESCRIPTION OF THE "SCENE" OR PHENOMENON YOU ARE STUDYING. In your final paper you will re-visit the work you did in your previous paper (and exam) and explore more fully the social relations, or relations of power and politics, that may activated or engaged by the practice you are studying. In the final paper you will explicitly use the details and richness that you provide in this paper to rethink and reconceptualize your understanding of popular culture and the import of your chosen object/practice. Evaluation: For this second paper, you primarily will be graded on: The richness and depth of your description and analysis. How well do you explore the nuances of your practice/consumption. How well you locate your practice in its social setting. The sophistication of the questions you ask as you explore your topic. The quality of your writing/communication. If you have any questions about my wording, what I want, how I’ll grade, etc. Please talk with me as soon as possible. Good luck and have fun. |
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