POP CULTURE ANALYSIS

DESCRIPTION
For this assignment, you will begin by selecting an object from pop culture (e.g., a film, a television program, an album, a book, or even a pop culture-themed event like a concert) that you are interested in and would like to know more about. Choose a subject whose value you would like to consider. You may value it highly and want others to know about it, or you may think that it is highly overrated and want others to see why.

You will construct an evaluation in which you make your judgment known. Be sure to explain clearly the criteria on which you will make your evaluation, and then show how your subject meets—or does not meet—those criteria. As we will discuss, the key to evaluating something that might otherwise be considered subjective is outlining the criteria by which it ought to be rated. Be careful to make these criteria fairly objective. If you are “stacking the deck” with biased criteria, it will be obvious and detract from your argument.

RHETORICAL SITUATION
 Genre: Write as though you are writing a review column for a blog or magazine
 Audience: Readers of your column
 Purpose: to present your audience with your opinion on a work of pop culture and help them understand WHY you view it the way you do. Perhaps you are encouraging someone to see or not see it, buy or not buy it, listen to or not listen to it, etc.

Process for the Paper:

• Pick the thing: What are you reviewing?
• Determine the genre of the thing: Horror Movie? Teen Romance Novel? Country Music Concert?
• Determine the expectations of that genre. (So, what makes a good Horror Movie? What makes a good Teen Romance Novel?) Generate a list.
• Pick the things from the list that are most relevant/matter most to the thing you’re evaluating. (The TV show you’re evaluating relies heavily on a solid lead actress, so maybe that’s a criterion to focus on.)
• Demonstrate how what you’re reviewing meets or doesn’t meet the standards you’re talking about. Use examples.
• Make your overall evaluation based on this. Make your recommendations to your audience. (Who should see this movie? Who might enjoy this concert? Who would not?)
• This process MAY involve references other works to some degree, but only to give your audience context.

Note:

Talk about the thing you’re reviewing. Talk about the criteria you’re using. (What are the main things that your review will focus on?)
General notes on trends I saw in the other class:
1. Be sure your paper has an original title. (You didn’t write Pulp Fiction. Quentin Tarantino did. So don’t title your paper Pulp Fiction. Have a title specific to your paper.
2. Be careful not to just fall into a plot description. Your purpose here is to evaluate. That will involve some description, but be careful that you’re using it to make a point. So a paper might look like this:
a. Intro (ending in a thesis)
b. Description of work (fairly brief – just enough so they understand what it is you’re talking about)
c. Criteria and example(s) – Here you focus on a particular aspect of the thing. Then give examples. That way you’re still getting in some description, but it’s to a purpose. The description is the “evidence” in showing the point you’re making. You can have as many paragraphs as are needed here.
d. Criteria and example(s)
e. Criteria and example(s)
f. Criteria and example(s) – Note that before your conclusion, you may wish to address things that do not fit your overall conclusion. If you are giving a positive review, are there any weak points that you might want to point out? If you are giving a negative review, are there any redeeming qualities worth mentioning? Again, these should be based on fairly objective criteria.
g. Conclusion (may include recommendations)