Choose a genre of popular music and trace its
history and development in popular culture.
Prepare a 12- to 15-slide Microsoft®
PowerPoint® presentation that addresses the following
questions:
What are the cultural influences of the music? Does the music
come from a particular time or region that makes it unique? What is
the cultural heritage of this music? What qualities are present as
a result?
What are the venues for consumption of the music like? What
attracts the fans to these venues? Venues might include large or
small concert halls, local bars and clubs, iTunes or MySpace, or
local or national television shows.
In what ways do cultural values about race, gender, sexuality,
and class difference shape the music?
What aesthetic values are prevalent in the genre you chose?
Describe the sound and feel of the music. How are the aesthetic
values reflected in the lyrics or messages of the music?
What groups or subcultures does the music tend to appeal to?
Why?
What trends are emerging in the consumption and production of
popular music in general, and specifically with the musical genre
you are focusing on?
Include at least one sound clip of a song from
the genre you chose. Explain the significance of the song in the
context of your presentation. Note: Explicit or offensive
music must be put in a historical context and examples should be
used appropriately.
Format your presentation consistent with APA
guidelines, including proper citation for your sound clips.
Present your Popular Music Presentation
What’s your favorite non-fiction TV show? I realize that we
don’t always
have a lot of time to relax, but when we do, we sometimes watch,
say, the
History Channel, or Discover, or ESPN, or some other channel like
that devoted
to non-fiction. When we do that, we’re looking at the same kind of
research
writing we’ll be covering in this class.
I like Pawn Stars a lot. I think it’s interesting to learn
about history
by looking at the different stuff people bring in, and the guy in
charge appears
to know a lot about each item. Reality TV, like one of the Real
Wives shows,
lets me know about different people in different parts of the
country. I even
learn about dancing on Dancing With The Stars.
What’s your favorite non-fiction show? What do you learn about
when you
watch it? Who, do you suppose, does the research for the show, and
do you think
the show is well-researched? (If you really don’t have time to
watch TV, that’s
fine—there will be other questions this week you’ll be able to
answer
Write From Scratch