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Rhetoric of Pop Culture

What makes for a good text to study?

  1. Pick something that resonates with you where you can see the connection between the text and the theory.
  2. Pick something you like but that you can still view with a scholarly eye.
  3. Pick something where you have access to the complete text and know the context.  Anonymous works from a unknown time frame can be difficult to analyze.

 

Tip:  Get your choice approved by your professor before you spend time on the first stage of the research.

 

Good artifacts:

  • Provoke an emotional response, powerfully or subtely.  Has an emotional feel.
  • Could provoke different reactions among different audiences.
  • Has interesting questions:
    • Why is this effective?
    • Why is this not effective?
    • Who is this directed to?
    • Does this text change how I think about society and how the world works?

Primary Sources

 

Graphic Novels

at ACU |  All Abilene Libraries

Ways to narrow:  anime, villains, comics, specific superhero (Batman, Superman, Captain American, Wonder Woman, etc.)

Popular Magazine Collection

Located on the south wall of the Reading Commons.

Sample journals:  People, Entertainment, Health, Texas Monthly, Vanity Fair, etc.

Browse for articles, ads, images, subject content
Location of YA Fiction

Young Adult Fiction

Mostly on Reading Commons north wall

Ways to narrow:  science fiction, Newbery award winners, dystopian young adult books, popular series
Location of DVD films

Film Collection

at ACU | All Abilene Libraries

Most have call number 791 on DVD section of third floor.  Most of ACU's collection were selected for their influence in the film industry.  Browse for best selection.
Images of Life Magazine Covers

Life Magazine Archives

Documenting American culture from 1936-2000.  Known for its iconic photographs.  Covers sports, current events, politics, fashion, personalities.
Time Magazine Cover

Time Magazine Archives

"The news through people" from 1923-present.  Their Person of the Year issue depicts a person, group, or object that "for better or worse ...has done the most to influence the events of the year."