– FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED NEITHER TO CITE NOR USE REFERENCES, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO DEMONSTRATE CREATIVITY AND OF COURSE MAKE A GOOD ANALYSIS. YOU ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO OBTAIN THE IMAGE/THING YOU ARE GOING TO ANALYZE FROM THE INTERNET, THE REST HAS TO BE IN YOUR OWN WORDS
Popular Culture Assignment:
Terrorism has had a large impact on cultures and societies throughout the world. In particular, terrorism is increasingly influencing the face of popular culture (also known as “pop culture”). What is pop culture? Pop culture is defined as “cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, suited to, or aimed at the tastes of the general masses”, especially youth and young adults (Dictionary.com). Examples of pop culture are found in popular music, print, sports, entertainment (television, movies, etc.), leisure, advertising, etc. For this assignment, you are tasked with finding an example of terrorism being referenced in/by an item of pop culture. For example, you may find a song, television show, or movie that includes lyrics or dialogue about terrorism. Or, you may see a t-shirt or poster that references a particular terrorist group or terrorist. You may even find an action figure or bumper sticker that references terrorism in some way. It can be something you find on the internet or in daily life. Also, your example can come from any country as long as you are able to accurately decipher and convey the meaning of it. Once you find your example, take a picture or screen shot of it. Then, write a summary (300-500 words minimum) describing what your example is, where you found it, how it demonstrates terrorism in pop culture, and any other comments/incite you have.
Bonus: I challenge you to try to find the most unique/interesting example possible. I will choose a select number of students’ examples to discuss during lecture. (Examples will be discussed anonymously.) Students will vote in class on which one they think is the most unique/interesting. The winner will receive 2% extra credit added onto their final cumulative score for the course. The student with the winning example must be present to receive the extra credit. If the student is not present, the extra credit will go to the example with the next highest votes where the student is present.
Note: Nonfiction documentaries or books about terrorism do not count.
