STUDY GUIDE – POP CULTURE

 

The Exam will be Comprehensive but the focus will be on material assigned since the Mid-Term.  The emphasis will be on: Heroes (and Stereotypes), Rituals, and Popular Genres (i.e., formulas), but you will also need to apply what you know about Popular Myths and Icons to your discussion of Heroes, Rituals, and Genres.

 

Questions will be Identification, Definition, Short Answer, and Essay. 

 

The format of the Identifications and Definition questions may be Matching, or they may require a brief written response.

 

Examples of the kinds of things you need to know:

           

  1. Heroes: examples and definitions of fictional & real life citizen heroes, celebrity hero, rogue hero. Review the chart on p. 311 and come up with more examples of each type of hero.  Be able to define and distinguish between these types of heroes.  Know the underlying myths reflected in heroes like Henry Ford, Spider-Man, Ronald Regan, Superman, Roseanne Arnold, Rap musicians, celebrities like James Dean, etc. How do heroes reconcile conflicts in the culture?

 

  1. Rituals: the definition of ritual including definitions with  concrete examples of the six different kinds of popular rituals.  Be prepared to describe and discuss the significance (underlying myths, etc.) of family reunions, football games, Halloween (remember the web reading on this!), Thanksgiving (remember the hand-outs), anf other rituals like funerals, weddings, shopping, etc.  Think about the myths and icons associated with each type of ritual and each specific example you use.

 

  1. Formulas/Genres.  What IS a genre or popular formula.  What are the motifs, icons, settings, characters, and conventions that define each popular genre? Use the text and the handouts on film genres to supplement the text.  Identify the popular American myths that underlie such genres as the Western, Detective, Horror Film, Science Fiction, Gangster Films, Soap Operas, Film Noir, and Fantasy.  Distinguish between genres of social order and social integration.  How do genres reconcile conflicting myths in American culture?