Part 1 of the “Pop Culture and Me” essay will ask you to begin thinking about your own relationship to popular culture. Use first person voice to articulate the significance of one form of pop cultural production that has shaped your identity today. Choose something that has greatly impacted your life in some way. This does not necessarily need to be your “favorite” thing (though it could be), but rather something that has helped shape your identity and worldview. The idea of this essay is to situate yourself as an active consumer of culture. A PDF of sample essays from students is posted to Canvas.
Below are some examples of forms of popular culture that you can you choose to engage in your essay:
• Television show
• Festival or convention (i.e. music festival or comic book convention)
• Film
• Album or song
• Musician, music group, or band
• Brand and/or store (i.e. Apple, Nike, Target, or Coca-Cola)
• Play/Theater
• Musical
• Comic book/manga
• Book – novel, biography, cookbook, memoir, etc.
• Ritual or custom
• Poem
• Celebrity
• Stand-up comedian or comedy special
• Sports team
• Athlete
• Social media community or forum
• Or something else. Double check with me if you’re not sure about a topic.
Part I of your essay should be 2-3 pages in length and consist of the following parts:
1) Introduction (1 paragraph)
2) Thesis statement at the end of the introduction/first paragraph
3) Define and explain what your pop culture artifact is in your own words
4) Explain how the pop cultural piece has impacted your life, experiences, or worldview
5) Attempt to situate the pop culture artifact in a larger context. What has its role been in larger society (if any)? What impact has it had on the world outside of just yourself?
6) Conclusion (1 paragraph)
Format: 2-3 Pages, 12 point, Times New Roman, double spaced, 1-inch margins
This paper….
(1-10)
…has a clear introduction and conclusion.
…has a clear purpose in addressing the prompt, by specifying a particular pop cultural item and its significance in your life.
…provides details.
…is clear and understandable throughout; fully explains ideas (development).
…is organized in a way that includes transitions, topics sentences, a logical order, and “flow” (organization).
Total Score Averaged (out of 10)
