...Popular American Culture Diane Rembert Soc/105 July 03, 2012 April Miller Popular American Culture Culture is the complete array of erudite human behavior patterns. The word culture was first used by an English Anthropologist Edward B. Tylor in his book, Primitive Culture, published in 1871. Culture is an influential human means for survival, but it is a delicate trend. It is frequently shifting and easily lost because it exists only in one’s mind (O’Neil, 2006). America is a culture whom dictated by the many subcultures, which are known as the American citizens. Characterized by mass media such as; television, music, and magazines, pop culture sets a distinctive standard between beauty and acceptance.” Popular culture encompasses the most instantaneous and most fashionable elements in our lives which are often subject to rapid changes in a high tech world in which people are brought closer by the media” (Petracca & Madeleine, 2007, p. 2). Thus shaping the lifestyle of each American, giving new meaning to what Americans value and believe to be superficial, official, and artificial. Popular Culture and Major Trends Pop culture observes the trends, people and events that people form in their everyday American lives. In today’s society when one think of the word trend, subsequently defined as everything that happens in the general direction in which people or things tend to move towards (American popular culture,...
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...Guide College of Humanities SOC/105 Version 5 Introduction to Popular American Culture | |Copyright © 2011, 2010, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This is an introductory course on modern American culture. The course focuses on the interactions between social forces such as advertising, media, and lifestyle and cultural trends in modern American society. Students are asked to cast a critical eye on current trends and changes in our culture. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. • Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Petracca, M., & Sorapure, M. (2007). Common culture: Reading and writing about American popular culture (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. All electronic materials are available on the student website. |Week One: Overview of Culture ...
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...Popular American Culture SOC/105 March 11, 2013 Popular American Culture When examining popular American culture it is critical also to look at culture in its entirety. Understanding culture and popular American culture, and all its intricacies provides a view of the differences of each person we encounter daily. This paper defines culture and popular culture and also identifies three major trends in popular American culture, and how popular American culture affects personal decision making. Defining Culture The culture of the United States is predominantly a Western culture; however, we see the influence of Native Americans, African American, Latin Americans, Asians, and many other cultures. Culture identifies the behaviors, beliefs, and social forms, which are characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group and may include language, religion, social traditions, and music and arts. Define Popular Culture According to Petracca and Sorapure (2007), “Popular culture represents a common denominator, something that cuts across most economic, social, and educational barriers” (p. 3). Popular culture involves the immediate and contemporary aspects of our lives. These aspects are continuously evolving specifically because of the exceedingly technological world we live in, which exposes people to ever-present, various forms of mass media. The term media is commonly used to identify radio, music, Internet, television, print, film, and video, and it is in these forms...
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...Running head: Popular American Culture Popular American Culture Cory James Soc/105 Clylinda Nixon June 13th, 2012 Popular American Culture Popular American culture is in one way or another is involved in everyone’s lives. Whether it is the music with listen to, the clothes we wear, the car we drive, or the movies we watch pop culture makes us who we are. Trends and Fads make up popular culture and tracts the ins and outs of what is going on from past to present. We look back and think about the fads that never stuck and the trends that define who we are today. Even in present time pop culture is constantly changing and us as people decide what stays and what goes. In pop culture it is important to look at the work culture to fully understand it. According to Live Science “culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts” Zimmerman (2012). Since different cultures are defined by their characteristics then pop culture makes up those characteristics. It is the music we listen to and the social habits we take up. Pop culture is the activities that are aimed at entertaining people in massive portions. In present time America pop culture as changed a lot due to the advancements in technology and the loss of religion in many homes. Some of the current fads that are here now but gone soon are reality TV shows like The Kardashian’s, Teen mom, and Jersey...
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...Popular American Culture Twame M. Williams Introduction to Popular American Culture SOC/105 May 20, 2010 Ms. Ardra J. Norman, LMSW Popular American Culture Popular American culture is what’s going on now. It is the way we do things in America now. It is the way we make decisions in life. Based upon our population, popular American culture surrounds itself around food, music, technology, schools, books, people, places, and things to do. The actual definition for popular culture is the elements of everyday life. When things happen in the world, people change. The media puts information out there for America to view and have options. People tend to follow the trends, the fads, the way that everyone else is leading the world to be. The inventory list that was created to form this paper started with how I viewed society and what was in it. Music, fast foods, grocery stores, clothes, and shoes are many artifacts that society and culture are built upon. In this list, comparisons have been made and some are most common than others. The knowledge and beliefs that people have show their attitudes and expectations of how society is run. When trends are set in a community, it is normally driven into them to be that way. Knowing that everyday life thrives upon all of this, it makes you see why changes are continuing to exist. Artifacts There are many artifacts tied into popular culture. Music is one of them....
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...Popular Culture Popular Culture There are many definitions but this one seems most fitting when discussing popular culture. "Culture: learned and shared human patterns or models for living; day- to-day living patterns. These patterns and models pervade all aspects of human social interaction. Culture is mankind's primary adaptive mechanism" (p. 367). Culture is traditions passed on from previous generations. Different groups of people share common culture that can be found in things like the foods they eat, the language they speak, and the homes they live in. To learn about the finer things in life, like priceless art and high society would make a person “cultured” because most high class things are usually historical. Popular culture can be defined as anything that reaches a huge audience. Things that are popular today, like the iPod, the twilight series, trendy fashion, reality TV and celebrity obsession are pop culture. No matter how much you say you don’t follow pop culture it is still a active presense in your life. It reaches all audiences of life as long as they are a part of society. Three major trends that are popular in America today are among those mentioned above. The iPod is in everyone’s pocket these days. It has become more of a pocket pc and less of a music device. You can get the latest news, social networking updates and email all on the iPod. Reality TV is also popular in America. Americans enjoy watching “real” people deal with the drama in their everyday...
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...Popular American Culture SOC/105 October 31, 2012 S. C. Culture and Pop Culture The official definition of culture is “the customary beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group” (Webster Dictionary.com, 2012) whereas popular culture is the opposite of high cultural art forms like the opera, historic art, classical music, traditional theater or literature. It includes many forms of cultural communication, including newspapers, television, advertising, comics, pop music, radio, novels, movies, etc. In the beginning of the 20th Century," High art" was the realm of the wealthy and educated classes while popular culture or "Low art" is commercial entertainment for the lower classes. In the 1950s and 60s the gap between them closed with the rise of Pop Art” (Kartha, 2011, p.1). Pop culture is so prominent in society that it is almost impossible to escape its influence. This is especially true in America. As a result of easy access, children absorb huge amounts of information presented by the pop culture world, which influences and shapes their identities. However, not all of it is negative and if parents educate themselves and monitor their children’s activities, pop culture is often a positive influence that helps mold the children...
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...Trends in Popular American Culture University Of Phoenix Introduction to Popular American Culture SOC 105 Michael Hilley November 11, 2009 Trends in Popular American Culture Trends in popular American culture, what we value and idolize will influence where we go in life. Where we look in life will often determine where we go, and how we end up. From my viewpoint now and what I see in friends in the media and in the values of the groups I belong to I can see where my future is heading. These trends are setting the course. This can be changed and have a profound influence on others that I am around and even those that are seemingly unconnected to me once I begin to take a different viewpoint or approach. One can never have too many viewpoints in life but, also when you really think about it the change in viewpoints were probably constructed in a market focus group by people who engineer trends in popular American culture. A shocking trend is gaining ground in teen dressing. For example, last summer, my 13-year-old daughter needed a dress to attend a friend's birthday dinner. What we found was a black “something” (is what I will call it) with a neckline so low that my condition for buying it was a fill-in-the-gap black undergarment. She was not happy about it but complied. This June, for her eighth-grade graduation, my daughter debated between a slinky blue dress with a plunging neckline which to me had more of a lounge...
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...Trends in Popular American Culture Gwendolyn M. Riley University of Phoenix SOC / 105 Deciding what is popular seems easy enough. It is what everybody likes or has heard about, what people are currently doing, wearing, eating or feeling. Our word popular derives from a Latin word populous which means “the people” so what is popular is what is “of the people”, it is what is as the dictionary says in one meaning, “frequently encountered or widely accepted”. In today’s society, culture can be defined in many ways. It can refers to the following of life including but not limited to language, arts & sciences, thought, spirituality, social activity and interactions. We can understand that culture is everyone in a society. This is because everyone in a society influences individual through social, political, personal and religious aspect. In the social trend in American culture, we can see how cell phone has changed communication dramatically. This is because cell phone is now accessible. I believe in the olden days, cell phone was not a popular thing but now in the new generation, it has changed. It is also because cell phone use can do things like surfing the net, texting and so on. Another trend that has become another popular American trend in the social aspect is networking such as: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and these other entire dating website. It has become so popular that people are meeting other people through these sites. It is fascinating to see how...
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...Popular American Culture Paper Throughout this paper, the reader will get a better understanding of culture and popular culture, along with their definitions and examples of each. The reader will be told three major trends in popular American culture and their roles. Also, the reader will understand how popular American culture affects personal decision making. The reader will gain a better understanding of these three topics after absorbing the paper in its entirety. What is culture? What is popular culture? What is culture? The answer is: "Most social scientists today view culture as consisting primarily of the symbolic, ideational, and intangible aspects of human societies. The essence of a culture is not its artifacts, tools, or other tangible cultural elements but how the members of the group interpret, use, and perceive them. It is the values, symbols, interpretations, and perspectives that distinguish one people from another in modernized societies; it is not material objects and other tangible aspects of human societies. People within a culture usually interpret the meaning of symbols, artifacts, and behaviors in the same or in similar ways." (Banks, 1989) What is popular culture? The answer is: “Popular culture is the accumulated store of cultural products such as music, art, literature, fashion, dance, film, television, and radio that are consumed primarily by non-elite groups such as the working, lower, and middle class.” (Crossman, 2011) What are three major...
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...At the end of World War II, popular culture in Australia have been strongly influenced by America during the 1950s, and overtime became richer than ever where communications and transport technology was advancing rapidly. Not only this but America have also influenced Australians in music, radio, television film and fashion. Australian music during the 1950s was heavily influenced from American music, where individuals fell in love with American-style rock 'n' roll. In 1955, American Bill Haley's hit song ‘Rock Around the Clock’ spread throughout Australia, and the radio broadcasting station were soon full of other American acts like Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly. During this time, Australian performers like Johnny O'Keefe was impacted by these overseas trends. During this time, radio stations increasingly relied on individuals and their new 'teenage' thirst for American music. Radio announcers in the 1950s often used American accents to make...
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...Introduction American culture, being traditionally perceived as quite liberal and democratic, is in fact paralyzed by the overwhelming power of stereotypes which shape the current image of culture at large and its industries, including music, in particular. Even the most innovative and advanced movements’ turn to be submitted to the canons of the ideology that dominates in American culture. Unfortunately, such a situation does not contribute to the development of really free, liberal and focused on spiritual, moral and intellectual progress of the consumers of the culture. Probably one of the most interesting, new and, unfortunately, typical example of the domination of stereotypes in American culture is the development of female black rap music, which has become particularly intensive in 1980s and is still quite dynamically developing. At first glance black female rap music should be free from traditional stereotypes, it should be innovative and contributing to black female emancipation and increasing the role of black females in the society at large but, in actuality, the situation is absolutely different. Despite the fact that many female rappers pretend to be unique at developing the new image of a free and independent black female, it turns to be that practically all of them, or at least the most popular of them, are ideologically dependent on the male dominance in proper and figurative sense of this word. It means that as a rule black female rappers tend to create an...
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...Nineties impact on today’s American culture Nineties and eighties incidents, people and ideas made a great influence on modern American culture like family life and gender roles, music, fashion, film and television. This transactions started in Nineties with President Ronald Reagan and his economic policy called reaganoimcs. Which include more military spending to fight back communism, it helped to stabilize economy after the eighties’ stock market crash and more. At the same time, changes in music and other trends began to influence on nineties people, especially teenagers. Music and music artists had a great influence on nineties fashion, as well as modern fashion. And also, movies like horror genre became more successful. Both movie and television reflected more of reality than written scripts. Family life and gender roles started changing in nineties. Women were secure in their working roles and were not afraid to show their femaleness. This leaded to increase in gender equity. Most of them were two income families, which raised the chances for divorce. Husband and wife shared their household and child care responsibility equally. Nineties women became less dependent on men. Women are allowed to do anything that a male can do. Nineties people put more importance to their carrier than family and became selfish with no humanity. For example, in the movie American psycho, Patrick spend most of his time with his friends and discuss about who had the better suit, business...
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...Influence of Music Paper The different types of music genres have helped shape American culture and society and its social behavior of Americans. As time moves on and cultures change, so does the music and what it stands for. Music may sound and be different around the world, but its most common purpose it’s to bring individuals together. It seems that music, more than anything else, ties people together and tears them apart. Each culture around the world has caused music in general to evolve uniquely to each society. As society changes and grows, so will our music and what we believe in. Music has given American culture its values, the way that jazz, blues, and R&B created rock & roll, music created American culture that naturally has an influence on other cultures. It is an argument of whether music affects society or if society is reflected through music towards social behavior. It can also be said that any one type of music can influence society. For instance, a society can become more modernized such as individuals expanding their methods of playing musical instruments. Or as technology becomes more advanced with the digital era, individuals can listen to music on MP3 players, Ipads, cell phones or radio’s anywhere and anytime becoming more convenient. In today’s society, people have the right to choose what they want to listen to. This includes wide variety of styles or to even focus on one genre, depending on the musical qualities that appeal to them. Media, such as radio...
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...sexuality in popular culture. As they tackle this issue, the authors focus specifically on the issue of masculinity as depicted in imagery, songs, videos, and concert tours. In the course of their work, Frith and McRobbie (1990: 374) observed a prevalent trend, which they referred to as ‘cock rock’ in their initial scholarly account. This was the reference to the dominant pattern of masculine chest-thumping as well as the aggressive and explicit portrayal of male sexuality. Later scholars also used the term hegemonic masculinity to sustain this viewpoint. Besides hegemonic masculinity, Frith and McRobbie (1990: 375) identify ‘the soft sentimentalist’ as another form of masculine sexuality, essentially a subtle evolution of the former. Sentimental masculinity appeals more to female vanity and the need for affection. The sentimentalist is charismatic and charming full of sensual flirtation aimed at luring the superficial audience. Critical observation indicates that both forms of masculine sexuality are still present in the world of Hip Hop today. In a detailed overview on the same, this paper tackles the issue of hegemonic and sentimental masculinity as evidenced in the world of Hip Hop today and the pervasive trend of aggression and sexuality in popular culture. Sexuality in Popular Culture The issue of sexuality continues to dominate the world of popular music since the inception of hip hop culture in the late 1970s to date. In fact, observers note that rap music was then as...
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