Mentor: Chris Ross / cross@pdx.edu
Mentor Sessions: 254D--001, 002, 003
Section 001 / CRN 63949: T 10:00-10:50 / CH 247
Section 002 / CRN 63950: R 10:00-10:50 / CH 247
Section 003 / CRN63948: R 11:00-11:50 / CH 159

Website: http://web.pdx.edu/~singlem

Course Description and Goals: Popular culture [Cultural Studies] is a vital area of study that offers new insights into our history, beliefs, diversity, emotional make-up, and socio-economic relations. Study of popular culture is an interdisciplinary approach aimed at understanding how culture links the individual and society. This cluster of courses [starting with our sophomore inquiry course] will enable students to "see" everyday life with new eyes by teaching them the habits of critical thinking and query into what they would otherwise take for granted.

In this course, students begin to study popular culture through observation, reflection, description, and critical thinking in order to gain a deeper understanding of the popular myths surrounding everyday life. Students focus on several forms of popular culture and engage in discussion and interpretation individually and in-group work.

(taken from PSU Schedule of Classes, Fall 2002)

This course is an attempt to move us, as consumers of cultural artifacts, from mere consumers of the products of our culture to readers of those objects and of popular culture as a whole. This can be expressed another way: we will move along a continuum from what some claim is a state of mindless, robotic, automatic consumption of popular culture toward a state of independent, free-willed, critical thinking about popular culture. It is important to note that being a critical reader of the objects of popular culture that surround us does not preclude us from being a fan of popular culture, but rather being an informed fan and examining why it is we like certain things, and don't like others.
Mark Singleton

"Critics often associate popular culture with low art because the general public seems to prefer Austin Powers to Artaud and pulp fiction to the classics. The term 'popular culture' in fact suggests a contrast with an 'unpopular culture,' implying that most people actually dislike what is not popular because it is high art. From these assumptions, one can argue that choosing to study popular culture involves a choice to abandon something that is more refined and therefore more worthy of critical attention. In this view, the study of popular culture becomes evidence of the dumbing down of America. Conversely, one can argue that such a claim simply reflects an elitist stance and that embracing popular culture as a topic of scholarship provides evidence of a welcomed move away from elitism. As we choose to study critically aspects of popular culture, we will confront these issues throughout the quarter." Grace Dillon

Popular Culture, the course, in the University Studies context: Popular Culture is the Sophomore Inquiry course for the Popular Culture cluster; it is one of the possible general education courses you take following Freshman Inquiry. If you transferred to PSU as a sophomore this may be your first University Studies course. Popular Culture is followed by a number of other courses (a "cluster") from which, should you elect to pursue the lines of inquiry opened up in this course, you would choose three. Of course you might choose to pursue three courses from among those in the cluster that follow one of the other Sophomore Inquiry courses you take.

Of the several University Studies general education goals, we will focus on extending your critical thinking skills by encouraging and participating in critical analysis, with the help of theory from a broad range of disciplines, of the popular culture that surrounds us. In addition, we will sharpen our communication skills with written assignments, classroom discussions, and small group discussions.

The courtesy WARNING: Popular culture is often a crass thing. Accusations of being low brow are sometimes true. The artifacts of popular culture sometimes contain sex, violence, scatological reference, off-color humor, or salty language. Often times the shocking is used as a technique to get us to think about the underlying message. Sometimes it is used as merely another surface of an artifact's homage to the cultural objects that preceded it.

As students of popular culture, we will all have different tolerances for different levels of representation. If you are easily offended by profane language, whether written or on the screen, or the frank depiction of violence, sex or sexuality, or what can be politely termed as earthy humor, then this course may not be for you. This course relies on the use of example and draws heavily on student input. I, as the instructor, cannot anticipate student experience or the type of illustrations offered by the class to try and make sense of our popular culture. However, we will not be engaged with these objects just because they are objects, but rather as an attempt to understand why our culture produces them.

Those of us who stay should be patient and considerate of others in class. We all have different beliefs and experiences, but we are all also adults and should conduct ourselves accordingly.

Required Texts:

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

Introducing Postmodernism by Richard Appignanesi et al

both available at PSU Bookstore

Reading packet 254A: Popular Culture; Instructor--Mark Singleton

available at Smart Copy located on 6^th Ave. next to Hot Lips Pizza.

Suggested Texts for reference (optional):

Cultural Studies and Critical Theory by Patrick Fuery and Nick Mansfield

Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture by Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright
both available to order from online sources.

Course Requirements: These are the things you will be graded on for this course. Each item is worth 10% of your final grade. Some are graded and others are pass / no pass (P / NP).

Assignment & Grading Policy: If one of the first five assignments listed above is missing, a final grade of 'X' will be given for the course. An 'X' is insufficient basis for grade for the course. You can either arrange to make the assignment up so that I can determine a grade for the course, or you can take the class again, with a different instructor if you like, to replace the 'X' with the grade from the new class.

Email: We WILL NOT accept assignments by email, except in very extreme circumstances. It is not an instructor's responsibility to print your papers for you, especially if you expect to get them back after they are graded.

Late Papers: Late papers will be marked down one level for each class period after the due date they are turned in (A to A- for one class period, B- to C for two class periods as an example).
The cultural artifact logs will not be accepted if they are late (see assignment packet).

Attendance and participation: Because this class emphasizes group workshops and interactive discussions, absences are discouraged. Each absence, after the first three lowers your grade one whole grade (A to B or B+ to C+ for instance). You are considered absent when you miss mentor session or the big class. If you miss more than two weeks' worth of classes, you should consider dropping the course and retaking it when your schedule permits. If you arrive late or leave early, you may be counted absent for the day. Please notify your mentor Chris, or me, if you must miss class for some reason. Classroom participation includes doing the assigned reading, classroom discussion, in-class writing, and group activities.

• If it becomes apparent that the readings for the class sessions are not being done, I'll institute in-class quizzes on the assigned reading that will become part of your attendance and participation grade.

Email Communication: Email sent to the instructor or mentor should originate from a PSU Odin email account. If you don't have one, get one and start using it. In a world of junk mail, spam, and other unwanted email messages, it's too easy for non-PSU email messages to get deleted or filtered from our inboxes. We cannot be responsible for email communication that gets lost, deleted, or filtered that originates from personal or other non-university accounts.

Course Schedule: Class time will mostly consist of discussion and lecture, small group and classroom activities, and examples that revolve around the reading for the day.

You should complete reading assignments by the day on which they are listed.

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

Week Four

Week Five

Week Six

Week Seven

Week Eight

Week Nine

Week Ten

Finals Week

Schedule subject to change. Check the web site for changes and updates to the class

Mentor Session Schedule: Mentor session will mostly consist of discussion, small group and classroom interactions, and examples that revolve around the reading for the day. Mentor session is meant to support the content presented in big class and support the student's progress toward understanding the material, the assignments, and successful completion of the assignments. Mentor session is important to your success in this class.

**Week One**

Introduction to class and mentor session

Check back for updates to mentor session schedule.