Researching Global Popular Culture

Students like popular culture, but students don't always enjoy in-class or homework exercises on finding and documenting sources. I'm currently developing this new assignment for College Composition II, which taps into global popular culture resources. It could be used as an individual or a group exercise. Since it is still a work in progress, I welcome any new ideas for global popular culture terms - food, clothes, anything!

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ASSIGNMENT

1. Select a popular culture term.

Select one of the following popular culture terms. Don't worry if you are not very familiar with the term. The idea is to learn something new while practicing your research skills.

What or who is Manga?

Popular Culture Terms:

• Rai music
• Beur film
• Telenovela
• Nordic walking
• Dub poetry
• Reiki massage
• Manga
• Bollywood
• Smart car

2. Define the term.

Research websites to find out what the term means. Choose 1-2 credible, informative sources, and write a brief (about 2-5 sentence) definition, paraphrasing the source(s) in your own words. Do not include any word-for-word quotations. Within the definition, identify and cite your source(s) correctly using the MLA style. Print out copies of your sources.

3. Research background & summarize.

Decide on one additional aspect of the term that you would like to examine further - such as person, place, event, or product commonly associated with the term. For example, if your team were working on the term "salsa dancing," you could decide to research one famous salsa dancer or one famous salsa musician. Print out copies of your sources.

Find at least five credible, informative sources on your topic, and choose the best two. Then write one full paragraph (about 8-10 sentences) summarizing the information from the two sources. The paragraph should be largely your paraphrasing of the original sources; however, use one brief direct (word-for-word) quotation. Decide carefully which words should be quoted. Cite your sources in the MLA style.

4. Combine information & add your own commentary.

Combine your definition and summary into one paragraph. Add your own observations and commentary. You will end up with one long paragraph that (1) defines the term, (2) focuses on one specific aspect about the term, supported by external evidence, and (3) provides your own commentary on the topic. Check your citations.

5. Write a Works Cited page.

Write an MLA style Works Cited page for all the sources you used (3-4 sources in total). Consult your textbook, the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th edition, or the library online information on documentation.

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