English 110C.01 is an introductory writing course that employs methods of analysis to provide students with the tools to think and write analytically about print (e.g., essays, memoirs, etc.) and non-print (images, audio, television, film, etc.) texts. The course builds sequentially on students' ability to practice critical analysis across a variety of written and visual/audio texts; to practice college-level reading, to come to a critical awareness of the meaning(s) of a text and its significance; and to generate their own written texts that reflect their understanding and perception of a text as well as engaging the perspective of scholars and cultural critics.
This section of English 110C.01 will accomplish the above-mentioned goals through intensive analytical writing, careful reading, and regular examination of the academic essay that takes as its subject American popular culture. This course assumes two things: that popular culture has a relationship--a complex one--with an American capitalist economy deeply rooted in consumption, and far from being meaningless, popular culture, whether unequivocally or explicitly, reveals contemporary social, political, and cultural concerns. To understand the often times elusive nature of consumerism, we will work collaboratively as sensitive readers and consumers to arrive at a critical understanding of how we consume, thereby participating in the construction of American consumer and popular culture. By examining a wide variety of scholarly essays that deal with issues such as the marketing of color in America, the advertising strategies behind product packaging, the role of Barbie and G.I. Joe in upholding conventional gender ideologies, and the cultural myth of beauty and its damaging effects on the female body, we will become more informed consumers as well as active readers capable of questioning written texts and articulating our own thoughts on the variety of issues these essays raise. Ideally, by the end of the course, you will be more conscious of yourself as a reader and writer and more critical of your evaluations of and responses to written and visual arguments.
Questions that we will ask ourselves throughout the quarter include but are not limited to the following: In general, how do we, as a group of readers with diverse experiences, approach written texts? What is the nature of the relationship between consumers and popular culture? If there is one, what is the relationship between reading and writing? More specifically, what does popular culture sell us and what is its appeal? To what extent does popular culture impact our buying and consumptive practices? How does popular culture aid in the construction of American culture and the upholding of or resistance to ideologies of race, gender, and sexuality?
In addition to meditating on the above-mentioned questions, we will actively work together to build a community inside the classroom. In order to accomplish this, we will engage each other's thoughts and be respectful of different perspectives. It is my hope that after the course ends you will have a number of useful resources that you can utilize as you pursue your academic goals and interests.