Documenting 10 Points Throughout The Quarter You Will Be Tas

Documenting 10 Pointsthroughout The Quarter You Will Be Tasked With

Throughout the quarter you will be tasked with exploring current events, media, social media, and other forms of pop culture to analyze and document in your pop culture journal. You will be posting your journal entries to your peer discussion group on Canvas each week, but it may be helpful to keep this as a running document in your own files to add to each week, then copy and paste from your journal onto Canvas. This activity provides an opportunity to make connections between classroom learning about rhetorical and critical frameworks of inquiry and real-world examples, as well as empower you to explore topics that interest you.

For each week that you are assigned a public life journal entry, you should: (1) Describe the context of your example, including important details such as what it means relative to the historical and social context, who, what, when, where, why, and how. You may include a picture or a link if helpful. (2) Clearly connect your example to a specific concept, idea, term, theory, or method discussed in class, clearly label and describe the concept, and apply it to your example. (3) Include and cite at least one reference relevant to your example below your post or entry.

You should respond to at least two peers’ posts, engaging in a discussion similar to a face-to-face conversation. This may include noting interesting points, adding insights or connections, asking questions, all while maintaining a respectful tone.

Paper For Above instruction

The assignment entails maintaining a comprehensive pop culture journal throughout the academic quarter, designed to foster analytical thinking about current events, media, and popular culture through the lens of critical and rhetorical frameworks. This task encourages students to actively observe and interpret media content, social phenomena, and cultural trends, drawing meaningful connections between classroom theories and real-world examples. Maintaining consistent documentation enables students to develop critical skills, deepen understanding, and enhance their ability to analyze the social and historical significance of various cultural artifacts.

Initiating the journal involves detailed contextual descriptions of selected examples from public life. Students should provide a thorough background, including when and where the event or media snippet occurred, who was involved, and why it is significant within its social and historical context. For instance, analyzing a viral social media post may involve discussing the platform’s demographic, the timing of the post in relation to current events, and the cultural conversation it participates in. Including images or links can assist in contextual understanding and enrich the entry.

The core analytical component requires students to connect their selected example explicitly to course concepts. For example, if studying the use of narrative framing, an entry might examine how a media campaign constructs a particular story around a social issue. By clearly labeling and describing relevant concepts—such as rhetoric, framing, ideology, or audience targeting—students demonstrate their understanding and critique of media strategies. Applying these theories helps in developing a nuanced appreciation of how media shapes perceptions and influences social dynamics.

Furthermore, each entry should include at least one scholarly or credible reference, providing theoretical or contextual support for the analysis. This citation anchors the student’s interpretation within existing academic debates or authoritative sources, fostering research skills and analytical rigor.

Peer interaction forms an essential part of the assignment. Students are expected to respond thoughtfully to at least two peer posts, engaging in respectful dialogue. Responses should extend the discussion through additional insights, questions, or connections, akin to a face-to-face academic conversation. This component promotes critical engagement, collective learning, and the development of communication skills within the course community.

References

• Burke, K. (1969). A Rhetoric of Motives. University of California Press.
• McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. McGraw-Hill.
• Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Pantheon Books.
• Hall, S. (1997). Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. Sage Publications.
• Gerbner, G., & Gross, L. (1976). Living with Television: The Violence Profile. Journal of Communication, 26(2), 173–199.
• Craig, R. T. (2007). Communication Theory as a Field. In C. R. Berger, M. E. Roloff, & D. R. Roskos-Ewoldsen (Eds.), The Media and Social Life. Routledge.
• Halliday, M. A. K. (1978). Language as Social Semiotic. University of Texas Press.
• Baudrillard, J. (1981). Simulacra and Simulation. Semiotext(e).
• Chomsky, N. (1991). Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda. Seven Stories Press.
• Van Dijk, T. A. (1998). Ideology: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Sage Publications.