Instructions

Read the instructions on the following page and write an essay no more than 3000 words in length. Please type your answer or use a computer printer. Please number your pages.

Do not put your name on the paper. Instead, put only your student I.D. number. This will insure total anonymity in grading and objectivity on the part of the instructor.

Essay Writing Hints

Remember that all good essays have an introduction which states a thesis, a body which marshals evidence to support that thesis, and a conclusion. Remember also to consider alternative theses and explanations so as to better prove your point. Make sure you understand the different theoretical statements in most of the readings.

You must refer to any and all relevant readings to support your essay. You may cite readings by the author using parentheses instead of footnotes - Example: "John Street argues that politics and popular culture are interrelated." (Street, p.10). When citing a chapter in an edited book, refer to the author of the chapter, not the editor(s) of the book.

Note: You may ask the instructor any questions about the exam over the ten day period you have to complete it.

Note on Originality

The paper must be your own written work. You may not copy, borrow, or appropriate other authors' work, unless you are doing so in the form of a cited quotation. All references to other authors' work must be fully documented in the form of citations and/or footnotes, and direct quotes must be indicated as such with quotation marks. Suspected cases of plagiarism will be pursued vigorously and appropriate penalties (including an "F" for the course) will be applied.

Grading and Deadline

Assignments handed in late will be assessed a third of a grade penalty for every day after the deadline they are submitted. (For example, an "A-" paper handed in two days late will be marked down two-thirds of a grade to a "B"). The only exceptions made will be for serious illness.

Instructions:

For this assignment you are both to ask a question, and answer it through interpretation of one or more popular culture texts. Choose one of the themes we have discussed in class (e.g., definitions of popular culture, theories of politics and culture, levels of analysis, historical evolution of popular culture, the role of the news media, the changing nature of communications technology, etc.) and phrase a question that asks something interesting about politics and popular culture. As a guide, examine the questions asked in the first take-home assignment and phrase a question along those lines. Make sure your question asks something interesting about a theme in politics, not a specific current issue. The best questions are usually the ones that have the word “why?” in them. After phrasing your question, answer your question in essay format as if you were answering one of the questions in the first take-home assignment. In choosing a theme, keep in mind some popular culture texts you would like to interpret. In your essay, you should interpret the popular culture text(s) you have selected to provide an answer to the question you have posed. In addition, make sure your essay has a thesis and uses relevant course readings (i.e., assigned texts) to support your points. Note: Make sure to state your question at the beginning of the paper.

Remember to provide adequate citation of the popular cultural text(s) you are interpreting.

Suggested Outline for Second Essay

I. Introduction

    A. Brief statement of concept to be studied

    B. “Why?” question stated

    C. Indication of cultural text(s) to be interpreted

    D. Thesis statement

        1. Relationship of popular culture to politics should be established

            a. Popular culture affects politics, or

            b. Politics affects popular culture, or

            c. Some combination thereof

II. Evidence of empirical problem established

    A. Reader should see that what is being explained actually exists

        1. For example, if the paper claims that foreign policy is affected by popular culture, there needs to be some evidence that this really is the case

III. Possible explanations that give an answer to the “why?” question

    A. Material from the Street, Schultz, Shea books

IV. Textual Interpretation

    A. One or more (but not many) popular culture texts

VI. Analysis

    A. Which explanation(s) from Part III are validated by the textual interpretation?

VII. Conclusion