My sympathy to all under challenged students, young and old, out there.

A new class is beginning today, so don't be surprised to find some more postings here....

My paper, at 15 pages including bibliography, can't be any longer just now. It isn't in the assignment to exceed this length. it isn't in my constitution and I dare not ask anyone to read more at this juncture. Though not included at the end of the paper, I'd like to point out that my intention is for this to not be The End, but a pause, chapter ending, or continuation in the next episode. Next season will feature such breath taking thrills as possible session outlines (aka lesson plans) and further exploration of the details of existing intersections between popular culture and civic engagement.

So cross the jump....

I give you:

Popular Culture Collections and Civic Engagement

Natalie Danford, “Pop Goes Philosophy,” Publishers Weekly 250 no. 5 (3 Feb 2003), 22.
Jeffrey K. Johnson, The Visualization of the Twisted Tongue: Portrayals of Stuttering in Film, Television, and Comic Books, JPC 41:2 (April 2008), 262-280; Scott C. Zeman, “‘Taking Hell’s Measurements’: Popular Science and Popular Mechanics Magazines and the Atomic Bomb from Hiroshima to Bikini,” JPC 41:4 (August 2008), 695-711; Heidi Netz Rupke and Grant Blank, “‘Country Roads’ to Globalization: Sociological Models for Understanding American Popular Music in China,” JPC 42:1 (February 2009), 126-146.
Ed. by Karen Randell and Sean Redmond, The War Body on Screen, 2008. Includes sections on ‘the body of the soldier’ and ‘the body of the terrorist.’
Gwyn Symonds, The Aesthetics of Violence in Contemporary Media, 2008. Uses cross-analyses to review violence and audience reception.
Matthew J. Costello, Secret Identity Crisis: Comic Books and the Unmasking of Cold War America, 2009. “…follows the trajectory of the breakdown of the Cold War consensus after 1960 through the lens of superhero comic books.” p. 64 of catalog.
Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, University of Minnesota, [Exhibits], http://www.weisman.umn.edu/exhibits/BobDylan/home.html, c2004, (accessed 19 April 2009).

We hope your semesters are wrapping up nicely and smoothly.

This is a reminder that the proposal deadline for the Midwest Popular
Culture / Midwest American Culture Association Conference is April 30,
2009. This year's conference will be held in the historic Westin Book
Cadillac Hotel in Detroit.

Please see http://www.mpcaaca.org/conference/areachairs.html for more
information about our chair chairs. Please see the attached document
for more information about the conference.

We look forward to receiving your submissions and seeing you at the conference!

Kind regards,

Brendan Riley and Heather McIntosh
Co-executive Secretaries

_______________________________________________
Members mailing list
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http://lists.mpcaaca.org/listinfo.cgi/members-mpcaaca.org

http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/757730/all_i_need_to_know

The Crescent City, the Big Easy, New Orleans. I had heard a lot about it...and even more about its eating. Not particularly excited about hot humid climates (thank goodness this trip was for early April), excessive drinking, or beads, the food was what piqued my interest most (history a close second). So with a bit of planning and my eyes, ears, and nose open the adventure began.

My friend Matt arrived a day before me and with guide book and camera in hand had already scoped out some territory. We hit up Coop's Place for dinner. He selected an starter: the Crab claws appetizer, inspired by a Stephen Fry food show recommendation and the crab survivor story (turns out that the harvesting of the claws does not kill the crab). We have a mutual appreciate for Stephen Fry (who coincidentally enough appeared in an episode of Bones last night which I only discovered because I flipped on the television a little early for Hell's Kitchen), so this seemed more than appropriate. Tempted by gumbo and okra and jambalaya and seafood galore, I opted for the green beans in Chicken Tchoupitoulas. Yummy (though I think it was instant rice, thumbs down). This dish I learned the next afternoon shares its name with a major street. Aha, a learning moment! What is the signification? (If I'm going to make it through all the NOLA eating I'll have to learn that later). Finally, the local brew: Abita. While the seasonal Strawberry ale came highly recommended (several times over by then end of the 4 days), I opted for the amber.

Though we were full, a stop for beignets and chicory coffee at Cafe du Monde was in order. What an interesting demographic span of staff! What fun people watching/sociological research! How did French donuts get to the American South and what is chicory and who thought to put it in my coffee?!

Thursday's lunch was a Cuban sandwich and tostones at Liborio's and taste of yerba mate soda. What makes a Cuban sandwich Cuban? What is that Mate stuff anyway? Are green plantains and sweet plantains the same plant only the latter riper? Why don't they taste like bananas? So many learning opportunities!

Fancy cafes have had a place in many big cities especially in the 1900s (I think, no time to fact check if I am gonna finish this off before 9am work start!). The Palace Cafe felt very continental Europe and was a lovely place for coffee and conversation. The interior was in very fine form for looking rather art nouveau - had this been restored? What was the history? How did it fair in Hurricane Katrina?

Coats and heels: "no bagging pants" need apply. More than once was I instructed to partake of classic Southern fine dining and Galatoires more than fit the bill. Our party of four enjoyed Kevin's polite and attentive but noninvasive service. I thought I must try a cup of the turtle soup (which came in a little bowl not a tiny turtle shell), the house special garlic salad, and eggs benedict, and forced the others to share banana bread pudding for dessert. Bread pudding was very common on menus. The regionalism and histories of foods is a fantastic vehicle for looking at the stories of people throughout time and across geography.

I'd signed up for a 10K race for Saturday morning and after Thursday's fancy lunch, a little bowl of Gumbo hit the spot. While transferring from the bar (where more Arbita was had) to the restaurant our group was passed by none other than Ellis Marsalis! He was playing in stage area at Snug Harbor. Though it was a sold out show, the sound was piped into the dining area and we could catch glimpses of the icon while on the way to the rest room. What is the connection between bars and restaurants and show venues? When does music move from the background ambiance of a dining experience to the forefront making food a mere snack?

Gotta go to the grocery store for a Po' Boy, that is what Judi had been told and I didn't doubt this kind of advice for a moment. We hopped off the crowded streetcar and she boldly asked a stander-by. He more than kindly led our foursome to Zara's . We ordered Shrimp, Shrimp and Oyster, Catfish 11 inch French Bread Po'Boys, all dressed (mayo lettuce and delicious pickles). The market was small, a cross of grocery store and convenience store by many standards. We found limited edition Voodoo Gumbo Chips by local company Zapp's and the Mardi Gras Maibock from, you guessed it, Abita. Oh yes, and a couple of large pralines to share for a sweet finish. Here we were presented with questions of why is it called a po boy? What is the traditional version and when did variants develop? The purpose, history, and variations of pickles alone could cross curricula of science, cooking, history, botony, and social studies. What about variations of social norms? I can't imagine too many Minnesotans (bless our hearts) walking 4 blocks out of their way to take strangers to a market for sandwiches. For the age appropriate audience, beer brewing and its variations is another learning extravaganza.

The final four thoughts below present many more of the same ideas and learning opportunities. What dishes? Where? Why? How much? Growing conditions? Import issues? Labor concerns? and so on.

Garden dining at Orleans Grapevine - salads soups appetizers wine and dessert. perfect! How come many NOLA buildings/houses have center gardens rather than front and backyards?

Night caps: Pirate Bar and the absinthe debate continues.

Laura's Candies founded in 1913 - the history of sweets, their creation, availability and connection to wealth and consumption.

Easter morning, New Orleans style and brunch at Stanley's - seemingly "classic" NOLA elements meet "the American diner" - what is fusion food and is it new?

Cuisine and dining provide for some really interesting ways to explore any number of curricular topics from economics to history to biology. Critical, creative thinking and research/exploration iis necessary to learn this way though, and thus is a viable means to achieve the greater goals of education suggested in this class and our text.

(An aside, I'm pleading the fifth and avoiding the important topic of media and eating disorders. My history with this is too long, too varied, and too personal. I'd like to make one caveat, that though media and contemporary living clearly create disordered relationships with food for so so many people - actual eating disorders are serious medical conditions. For the health and safety of others, please do not underestimate the power of biochemistry and possibly even genetics, nor the importance of medical attention as well as social and cultural evaluation.

On a happier topic - please consider going to the PCA/ACA meeting some day! It is a great conference to cut one's teeth on...very supportive and extremely eclectic. I presented in the Libraries, Museums, Archives, and Popular Research area but attended fantastic panels in the Education area, the Food and Travel area, the Comics and Comic art area, and the Music area as well as the Hip Hop Culture area. WWW.PCAACA.ORG Do it!)

http://www.tufts.edu/home/feature/?p=99

Kinda interesting. Sadly at the moment I'm behind on conference preparations so I can't find out more for you.

Come to think of it COVERS are an interesting conceptual spin off of last week's parody and satire. While an artist like Weird Al thrives on satire and parody, as do plenty of other cover bands, many instances of one artist playing or re-making the song of another is an artistic nod of approval or an example of the "copying is a form of flattery" apothegm. If nothing else, examining covers in a classroom setting can demonstrate issues of artistic and intellectual ownership, copyright, derivation and the evolution of artistic/intellectual content within the community of artists and fans, and meaning based in context. Each of these is also applicable when looking at "real and fake" news as well as fine arts or literary works.

My personal appreciation for musical derivation snuck (or is it sneaked?) out early this month. As a (former? I don't play all that much these days) musician I have spent a lot of time with the way that music of most genres connect people: composer to performer to audience to future song writer to garage band to past musicians to musicians of other cultures and styles and so on. This connection usually happens not intellectually (by understanding that Mozart studied with Haydn, that Fats Domino listened to Gene Autry as a kid, that Johnny Cash covered Gospel tunes and Nine Inch Nails) but viscerally through a non-verbal medium with very physical manifestations (pretty much all music is a dance in one way or a more subtle other). A very powerful place to be is one that works on an auditory, physical (movement), and intellectual levels and that is where music hangs out.

It isn't a far stretch for this imagination to understand why major entities from the medieval church, to monarchies, to multinational corporations would tap into the power of music for good, or evil, or profit (or all of the above). The patronage and support structures provided affect musicians and their craft, as does the socio-economic status of the musicians and their audiences, the historical happenings, and personal motivations often unknowable to fans and scholars (something we all like to ignore in the effort to know and understand and explain!). All in all, these provide such an exciting number of opportunities to engage with learners of all ages on social issues, on economics, history, and just plain music.

White and Walker suggest that a purely pedagogical approach with popular culture (hook 'em with what they like) stops short of critically engaging with the medium itself (p.16-18). While not entirely disagreeing with this position, it seems that the strong ability for music to connect with wider issues and for a single song to time-travel via the mode of "the cover" is a powerful and enjoyable "gate way drug" to those larger issues and other peoples places and times. In my experience to really analyze at a musical level (not the industry) requires more intense listening and training than the average class situation allows for. That is, a music teacher wouldn't be expected to cover social studies in music class the way the social studies teacher is and vice versa, a social studies teacher can't necessarily be expected to teach "the music" in their class.

All in all though, I can see a very rich class room project that takes a tune. The students find as many versions of it as they can. They look at the who what where and why of each or selected versions. They make a time line, a map, and a graph of the varying qualities. They write a paper/essay on some aspect (one of the recording companies, one of the genres, the artists, an instrument used, the historical time). They maybe make a cover themselves with basic recording equipment or by mixing, or they make a music video using one of the versions of the song already recorded. The album art is looked at and students design their own album paraphernalia. Maybe they do their own radio show on the evolution of a song or an artist with the artist's influences. Can they interview a local DJ and learn about radio production? Will a local station (KFAI or Jazz 88 here in town for example) let the kids participate in a segment? What about bringing in a local musician? Maybe a classical violinist and a guitarist from a band visit on the same day and talk about their varying styles?

And so the options generate. Maybe I just like them 'cuz it sounds like good fun learnin' to me too.

If this isn't a style most Americans grow up appreciating, how do some of us learn to love it and how do we share that with others, especially students? One easy exercise is to start with a basic comparison of a story covered in the New York Times and the same story as in USA Today. What facts, figures, and information is provided? Are there experts or studies cited that can be confirmed? How long are the articles and where is each placed within its respective paper? The writing style, vocabulary used, ancillary charts, tables, or figures? Learners could do this a few times and then move on to a local paper, an online news source, televised or radio news articles and eventually into the formats more closely associated with entertainment such as The Daily Show or The Onion. Learners can look for "what is (supposed to be) funny" and state justification for why it is or is not by exploring the greater context and other relevant evidence.

In the moments when the likes of Rush Limbaugh or Sacha Baron Cohen are found to be offensive, why? What buttons are pushed? What values are challenged? It may prove to be quite difficult if not impossible for all viewers/readers to come to appreciate satire - but this does not preclude the opportunity to share and learn about the issues referenced in such biting parodies. In many cases, the age of the audience may serve as a limiting factor, as both satire and parody rely on prior knowledge for their effect. However, in many cases kid culture at least paraphrases older stories, formats, political figures, and so on. Much like the opportunity presented by youth oriented historical fiction, these pieces for kids present a keen chance to enlighten and engage young flexible minds with the more challenging nature of referential entertainment and communication.

There is a risk to stressing skepticism as a means for evaluating news of any kind from any source, though this is a fair assessment of what is required when comparing political candidates, policy solutions, and dish detergents. Disengagement, disillusionment, and even fear have been argued results. Instead of assuming news to be true until proven false, or false until be demonstrated true - both of which rely on unrealistic polarized dualisms - the emphasis in the public and in education should be on determining veracity by confirmation from a variety of sources, formats, and perspectives and with the understanding that any single "newsworthy event" cannot have its whole "truth" summarized in one article, series of television segments, or blog posting(s). Ongoing interaction with content and analysis is necessary to be "in the know." With continued information acquisition will typically come increased understanding and more opportunities for action and involvement, both important antidotes for anxiety or misanthropy inspired by news consumption.

**After thinking of Borat for this first time in a long while and referencing the film/character/phenom here, I noticed in the little "did you know section" of the Star Tribune paper at the coffeeshop a reference to him! Here's the related longer article: http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/41329077.html?elr=KArksUUUU.

The cross-fertilization of popular music is to fascinating.

Also, did you know Johnny Cash's home down was created by the New Deal?

(information from the 2/23/2009 Bop Street show - archived at http://www.kfai.org/node/46)

This brief venture into online educational play zones for kid's illustrates another issue: how to decide? With 53 options on PBS alone, how to review, preview, approve of, and monitor all? The move from Liberty's Kids from PBS since the 2008 publication of our text indicates that there is a fluidity in ownership of these resources. Much like many things on the internet, URLs are not permanent (well unless they are PURLs of course), and the "wrapper" and display can shift the meaning and reliability.

How is a teacher to evaluate play related resources? Is such a process different from reviewing print or AV classroom materials? Which toys are appropriate? White and Walker (2008) chapter 15 (p. 143-4) implies that classroom toys will/are not subject to the commercialization or TV and holiday hype. (Incidentally, chapter 15 is really terribly written using too many vague generalizations and unsupported claims to be all that useful. For instance p. 145 "Personal computers became common in every home by the 1980s." In what geographic region? What sample and survey? Please.) When incorporating toys and kid culture into a classroom, it seems impossible to draw clear lines between the commercial and the purely educational (see the case of Liberty's Kids web relocation) and thus essential to raise the related issues with students.

Concerns over funding affect "adult" learning situations as well, so kid culture is not alone. Funding of museum exhibitions, film festivals, and concert series is rarely devoid of corporate or commercial interests. In music and arts, scholars have long drawn some parallels between royal or religious patrons and contemporary grant funders. Do younger viewers and "patrons" of arts or media have the same capacity to critically assess their cultural consumption? Such a question implies that adult viewers have and exercise this ability, though this is not an uncontentious assertion.

Chapter 8, pages 76-77, criticize the media literacy movement and asserts that media efficacy is instead a better method with kid culture in the educational setting. In library and information science, media literacy (typically couched within the umbrella of information literacy) emphasizes critical assessment without preconceived judgments on type of media (though to be honest certainly some practitioners have biases, but don't most of use?). What are the differences between media literacy and media efficacy? Really, any thoughts?

The point of our responses probably is not to entirely question our texts, but consider this my bad habit. Tooning in continues to assert the power of popular culture for social change, but this student is finding little evidence within the text to support these claims, whereas I see around my the hegemonic powers of popular culture. Rarely is radical social change presented or supported. In so many cases, main stream popular culture serves as a site for advertising and homogenization. Popular culture on the fringes seems to provide more diverse voices and challenges to conventional wisdom. Discussing these differences and the various issues brought about by thoughtful assessment of any culture is often radical and can bring about social change. Then again, real change also requires agency, quality information, and a sense of the common good - none of which are inherent in popular media.

Pardon me as this post seems to have devolved into sweeping generalizations and unsupported claims. My migraine is unrelenting. Here's hoping edits tomorrow will clean things up. In the meantime, two other thoughts:

Teaching history to young people with fictional accounts presents the challenge of communicating the difference between fiction and historical realities, but it also provides the exciting opportunity to introduce learners to the vital and sometimes shocking interpretive nature of communicating historical realities. All history is created (insert Eric Foner here), but that doesn't mean all history is fiction. Very important to pay attention to the differences. Information may not be knowledge, but knowledge requires information.

Fun and play are very important. Appealing and accessible are too. The satisfaction of hard work, mastering new skills by trial and error and real effort, and rising to the challenges of appreciating that which is new and different are all also valuable and enjoyable - aka FUN times too. They however are generally in the "acquired taste" category.... education should be also about experiencing and acquiring new tastes and exploring new avenues to fun in addition to those already known.