Preface for Instructors
Introduction for Students
Rhetorical Table of Contents
1. Active, Involved Reading and the Writing Process: Establishing a Connection
Reading with a Difference
Getting into Reading
Thinking Ahead
Reading a Sample Essay
Eric L. Wee, "Schlock Waves Felt across U.S. Campuses"
David Jacobson, "Pop Culture Studies Turns 25"
Writing with a Difference
Getting into Writing
Planning, Purpose, Audience, and Attitude
Hooking the Reader
Identifying a Thesis
Supporting the Thesis
Organizing the Content
Connecting the Pieces
Arriving at a Conclusion
Titling the Paper and Other Final Steps
Revising the Paper
Editing the Paper
Peer Editing
Gaining from the Effort
A Sample Student Essay
Anabel F. Hart, "The Importance of Reflecting on Popular Culture" (Student Essay)
2. Deconstructing Media: Analyzing an Image
The Message of Media
Asking the Right Questions
Taking an Image Apart
Reading Visual Images
To Have and To Hold (Photograph)
Mallard Fillmore (Cartoon)
Writing About an Image
Monumental Taste (Advertisement)
Robert E. Arthur, "Monumental Taste: Using Patriotism to Market Diet Coke" (Student Essay)
Gearing Up to Read Images
Collaborating
3. Define "American": Reflections on Cultural Identity
Looking Ahead
Analyzing the Image: "Like Mother—Not Likely!" (Photograph)
Gearing Up
Collaborating
Susan Brady Konig, "They’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught"
Lorraine Ali, "Do I Look Like Public Enemy Number One?"
Julia Alvarez, "I Want to Be Miss America"
There She Was (Photograph)
*Shawn Hubler, "Will the Last Gay Bar in Laguna Beach Please Turn Out the Light?"
*Andrew Lam, "Globalization vs. Americanization"
*Arnold Kee, "Naming Our Destiny"
Paired Selections
*Gregory Rodriguez, "Mongrel America"
*David Brooks, "People Like Us"
*Michael Jonas, "The Downside of Diversity"
Wrapping Up Chapter 3
Connecting to the Culture
Focusing on Yesterday: Norman Rockwell, Freedom from Want (Painting)
Focusing on Today: Charlie Powell, One Big Happy Family (Drawing)
4. "How Do I Look?": How Culture Shapes Self-Image
Looking Ahead
Analyzing the Image: American Gothic Makeover (Painting)
Gearing Up
Collaborating
Garry Trudeau, "My Inner Shrimp"
Patricia McLaughlin, "Venus Envy"
*Tanzila Ahmed, "100% Indian Hair"
*Jennie Yabroff, "Girls Going Mild(er)"
Dan Barden, "My New Nose"
Losing the Trauma: The Author Before and After Surgery (photographs)
*Michelle Jana Chan, "Identity in a Virtual World"
*Robbie Cooper, Choi Seang Rok and Uroo Ahs (Photograph)
John Leo, "The ‘Modern Primitives’"
Body Rites (Advertisement)
Paired Selections
Alice Walker, "Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self"
Grace Suh, "The Eye of the Beholder"
Wrapping Up Chapter 4
Connecting to the Culture
Focusing on Yesterday: Dear Diary (Photograph)
Focusing on Today: MySpace is Your Space (Photograph)
5. What Are You Trying to Say?: How Language Works
Looking Ahead
*Analyzing the Image: Cheerful Technology (Photograph)
Gearing Up
Collaborating
*Patricia T. O’Conner, "Like"
*Geneva White, "Corporate Names and Products Creep into Everyday Language"
*Caitlin Miner LeGrand, "More than Language"
*Loud English (Cartoon)
*Natalie Moore, "Rule of Thumbs: Love in the Age of Texting"
*Adam Jacot de Boinod, "Global Wording"
Paired Selections
*John J Miller, "How Do You Say Extinct?"
*Mindy Cameron, "In the Language of Our Ancestors"
Read Mercer Schuchardt, "Swoosh!"
*Dr. Edward Rhymes, "Caucasian Please! America’s Cultural Double Standard for Misogyny and Racism"
Wrapping Up Chapter 5
Connecting to the Culture
Focusing on Yesterday: On the Horn (Photograph)
Focusing on Today: From Talking to Texting (Photograph)
6. Fantasies for Sale: Marketing American Culture
Paired Selections
Looking Ahead
*Analyzing the Image: America: Land of the Free or Land of the Logos? (Photograph)
Gearing Up
Collaborating
Paired Selections
Jay Chiat, "Illusions Are Forever"
Delia Cleveland, "Champagne Taste, Beer Budget"
*Meghan O’Rourke, "The Croc Epidemic"
David Carr, "On Covers of Many Magazines, a Full Racial Palette Is Still Rare"
Tara Parker-Pope, "Custom-Made"
*Rob Walker, "Cleaning Up"
*Michael Specter, "Damn Spam"
*The Economist, "The Ultimate Marketing Machine"
*Bob Garfield, "Taking Cadillac from Stodgy to Sexy: Kate Walsh"
Wrapping Up Chapter 6
Connecting to the Culture
Focusing on Yesterday: You Could Guess Which Car She Came In! (Advertisement)
Focusing on Today: She’s Arrived! (Advertisement)
7. Seeing the Big Picture: Culture Reflected in Film
Looking Ahead
Analyzing the Image: All Eyes on Oscar (Photograph)
Gearing Up
Collaborating
Paired Selections
Stephen King, "Why We Crave Horror Movies"
*Katrina Onstad, "Horror Auteur Is Unfinished with the Undead"
*Anupama Chopra, "Bollywood Princess, Hollywood Hopeful: Aishwarya’s Quest for Global Stardom"
*The Bollywood Princess Waiting for Her Prince to Come (Photograph)
*Eugene Robinson, "Tyler Perry’s Money Machine"
*Jennie Yabroff, "Drag Hags"
*Wesley Morris, "Shrinking the Big Screen"
*Andrew O'Hehir, "Oscar and Hollywood in Splitsville!"
*John Clark, "Hollywood Clicks on the Work of Web Auteurs"
*Kelly Tyler-Lewis, "Virtual Humans"
*An Unlikely Commuter (Photograph)
Wrapping Up Chapter 7
Connecting to the Culture
*Focusing on Yesterday: "They’re Here!" (Movie Still)
*Focusing on Today: "Ring, Ring. You’re Dead." (Movie Still)
8. American Idols: Representations of American Culture.
Looking Ahead
*Analyzing the Image: New York in Las Vegas? (Photograph)
Gearing Up
Collaborating
*Craig Simmons, "Hooters Translates in China"
*Virginia Postrel, "Signs of Our Times"
*Ron Rosenbaum, "The Worst Op-Ed Ever Written?"
Steven Levy, "iPod Nation"
*Daniel Nexon, "‘Harry Potter’ and Magical Realism"
Paired Selections
*Phyllis Raybin Emert, "Native American Mascots: Racial Slur or Cherished Tradition?"
*Jack El-Hai, "Booze, Blood, and the Star-Spangled Banner"
*Erika Fricke, "Material Girls"
Britney and Madonna (Photograph)
*Daniel Alarcon, "Grand Mall Seizure"
Wrapping Up Chapter 8
Connecting to the Culture
*Focusing on Yesterday: Movin’ with His Boom Box (Photograph)
*Focusing on Today: Travelin’ to Her Own Beat (Photograph)
Evaluating and Documenting Sources
Index of Authors and Titles
* new to this edition