Bellringer (activity preparation) On a scrap sheet of paper, write down the following (DO NOT WRITE YOUR NAME ON THIS PAPER, DO NOT DISCUSS WITH ANYONE, we are playing a guessing game—don’t give away these answers!): 1. One FACT about you (something everyone or people close to you know) 2. One thing people may not know about you, that you don’t mind sharing 3. If you had a nickname, what would it be? What would people probably call you?

SNOWBALL! Split to different walls of the classroom. THROW!

Bellringer 1. Do you think these are real classes offered at some colleges? Why or why not? Which classes would you be interested in taking? The Sociology of Miley Cyrus: Race, Class, Gender, and Media” “Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame” “Politicizing Beyoncé” “Sociology of Hip Hop: Jay-Z” “Sociology From E Street: Bruce Springsteen’s America” “What If Harry Potter Is Real?” “Sociology of Bob Dylan”

Purpose…. We want to not just look at what was popular but WHY was it so popular. What made it so popular with the masses.

History of Pop Culture First became an academic subject in 1967

Many definitions but includes… Any product (clothing line) Lifestyle (snowboarding) Environment (Radio City Music Hall) Idea (the creation of a charcter in a RPG) Event (Super Bowl) That is widely known or revceived by many people.

Who defines Pop Culture? The consumers!!! And consumers are discriminating-- which explains why every song is not a hit, every film is not a blockbuster, and some tv shows don’t even make it to midseason!

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