For this assignment, you will choose a popular culture artifact that you consider worthy of study. You will then apply communication theories or critical analysis derived from course readings and discussion to the artifact. For instance, you may choose to look at "The Simpsons" as subversive political commentary couched in the guise of a comedy or Glamour magazine's cover stories as reinforcing stereotypes concerning race, or even possibly the violence depicted in some rap lyrics as a nonviolent release of frustration with mainstream society (Please don't use these exact exs).
Your analysis must to be at least 7-8 pages in length (double-spaced, 12 pt. font, 1 inch margins) and a wholly original work. Understanding of your textbook will be assumed for all students thus you do not need to describe theories that are contained in our text. In addition to our textbook, you will also utilize 5 outside sources. The artifact you will be analyzing does not count as one of your sources.
Your paper should be a critical analysis: a thoughtful consideration of your artifact from a particular theoretical or critical viewpoint. Your paper should not be primarily description of your artifact. Please spend no more than one page setting up, or giving a summary of your artifact.
A works cited page that lists your sources in APA or MLA format should be included at the end of your analyses. Remember, you need at least 5 outside sources for each assignment. The textbook used in this class should offer background to your research, but does not count as cited evidence. Most of your supporting evidence should come from journals, newspapers, books, or other databases. Be sure to include in-text citations for each source discussed in your paper so that I will know where the information is coming from. Please use APA or MLA format for both in-text and works cited citations. Refer to the library's MLA or APA style guides on their "Research Guides" page if you have any problems about the format for citing sources.
This paper must be your own writing and not a collection of quotes from outside sources. You should use your outside sources to back up your claims, but not to replace your own voice. Please also note that any time you use your sources verbatim, you must to put the quoted text under quotation marks and identify your source.