COMN ESSAY

Final Paper Prompts

Guidelines

●1500—— 2100 words.  No more than 2100 words. Word count listed at the top of your paper. 

● 12 pt. font, double-spacing, standard margins.

● Follow MLA guidelines for citation and formatting. 

● You should cite at least 3 scholarly sources for each prompt (they do not have to be from outside of class, but should be directly cited).*

● Pick one prompt below and answer the questions it poses. 

Essay Prompt A:

PERSONAL ESSAY: Popular Culture in Society-What is popular culture? How do people interact with, express, and interpret popular culture? How can we change the way we see popular culture through the application of theory? What are the bodily aspects of popular culture? How can we become better consumers of popular culture? 

Your task for this essay prompt is to apply the theoretical material we have learned in class to the practical processes and behaviors that compose contemporary popular culture consumption. In order to complete this essay, follow the following steps:

FIRST: What is popular culture? Summarize your thoughts and the ideas/theme(s) from the course you found most interesting.  Draw and cite from the relevant course readings, videos, discussions, or other assignments to support your informed summaries.  Assume in this essay that your audience, at least for the first part of this essay, is a college audience with little formal study of popular culture.  Informed by a course theme(s), explain some aspects of the nature of popular culture in the United States today or on the contemporary dynamics of popular culture production and consumption. 

SECOND: Discuss how understanding the theme(s) of the course has shaped your understanding of popular culture and your personal engagement with popular culture “texts” or “artifacts.” Discuss your own thinking and experience over the course of the quarter in terms of understanding popular culture, what you found most applicable to your experience.

THIRD: Discuss how your cultivated understanding and perspectives will assist you in the future as a human citizen. Can this class help you be a better person in the future?