Designing a Pop Culture course

[Matt]

For those that don't know, I work as a Teacher for secondary school students (ages 12-18).
My school likes to offer different 'electives' every year to try to keep student engagement high. I've not taken part in this program simply because nothing has really gained my interest.

Then I started to think on the possibility of designing and teaching a Popular Culture elective subject, aimed at 15-16 year olds. It'd go for approximately 18-20 weeks with about three one hour classes per week.

My idea right now is to split it up into different units and go through them one by one; comics, sci-fi, animation (from various countries), cosplay, Other TV series/Films, Gaming, etc. I'd also be looking to take the class to some sort of Pop Culture expo as a class trip (Melbourne hosts Supanova or something, which sounds like a possibility).

Obviously, the CBR Community has a rather large liking for geeking out; especially for comics but also for a lot of other pop culture areas as well. Hence, I'd like to hear any feedback/advice/thoughts/opinions on what you would like to see included in such a course. Maybe you've just heard of something similar being taught at another school.

Comics:
I was pondering using All-Star Superman as an introductory text. Sadly, I'd have to choose something pretty non-controversial as the school board is rather conservative - no boobs/sex or swearing, etc. A-S Superman seemed like a good choice. Possibly also Kingdom Come would make an appearance but that does tend to require a lot of background knowledge. I'm hoping to hear some other suggestions.

Sci-Fi
I know a core group of likely sign-up kids already love Doctor Who so I'd certainly include that; probably concentrating on a comparison between it's first episodes to how it is now. Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5, and Firefly are also very likely to make appearances.

Animation
I'd like to do a review of popular animation from the past few decades to show students how animation has changed. Touch on how a lot of animation start off as toys and are just commericals for said toys. Branch off into international animation such as the Asterix movies from France and (of course) a few things from Japan. The Simpsons is an obvious choice to include in this, of course.

Cosplay
This wouldn't be a detailed look, maybe even just one lesson. But I think the students should be informed on it in case we do go to an expo, just so they know what to expect.

Other TV/Films
Zombie movies, Bladerunner, Aliens ... very much filling in the proverbial cracks here. A light look only but it does deserve some attention.

Gaming
Video games and RPGs would get a look as well. From the impact of games such as Star Craft on certain cultures (hello, south korea) to (maybe) controversial topics such as D&D.

So yes, it is a big excuse to have a huge geek-out but we'd also be looking quite closely at pop culture's impact and influence on wider society. The phrases and idioms that have entered the wider vocabularly, for instance.

[Sabrina_Fried]

If you are going to do some anime, definitley consider one of the Gundam TV series and/or movies. There is an entire industry built around making and marketing scale model Gundams, but at the same time the show has very solid storylines and is often likened to shows like Star Trek for its tendency to reinvent itself every few years/decades to reach a new generation of fans. So it could let you touch on themes that cross media boundaries.

If your school board is very conservative though, go with one of the older Gundam series, or at least a series using the retro UC designs like Gundam Unicorn. In recent years the Normal Suits (basically spacesuits for Gundam pilots) have been getting tighter and the female characters better, erm, endowed. You'll also have to pre-screen for the pivotal "Newtype" moment that some series have (where the main characters awaken to their Newtype abilities, usually symbolized by them having a vision of everyone flying around naked...I am NOT making this up)

As a counterpoint, you may want to look into cartoons such as Avatar: The Last Airbender, or the current series The Legend of Korra. Unlike many popular cartoon series today, these actually don't have much in the way of merchandising directly tied to them (at least not that I have seen). Just a few comics and a video game or two. Most of the action figures were tied into the live action movie. It's one of the only cartoon series I can think of that is currently on TV that is NOT a 30-minute toy commercial.

[Aaron Kashtan]

This sounds like an awesome idea. What kind of assignments are you planning to give? Maybe you could actually have them write fan fiction or create their own fan comics.

[Athena Bast]

For some gaming research I'd like to point at Extra Credits. Especially when they talk about Western RPGs vs JRPGS, Propaganda games, and Gamification.

For the animation I'd put up "Ghost in the Shell" the original movie, the redux with the updated graphics and the TV series but that might not meet your conservative requirements. It raises some questions especially when in the second series they start dealing with the Tachikomas.

[sHayden]

Isn't anime sort of dying?

[needler420]

When the hell did discussion on different genres of video games make it into the classroom? I must have been skipping too much school.

[custodes]

I guess the Internet might be pop culture. And what about commercials and advertising?

<I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony....>

<Where's the beef?>

Or similar Australian versions ( do you have a Vegemite song?

[Matt]

I was actually thinking more on them choosing some example of pop culture and writing on how it has influenced wider society, citing as many examples as possible.

[Jeff Brady]

Isn't anime sort of dying?

Of course not.

[Matt]

do you have a Vegemite song?

Yes, yes we do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yA98MujNeM

[Iangould]

If you're having to be selective in the comics you use because of parental concerns, what zombie movies are you planning on showing?

[Matt]

The best option I've found so far is scenes from Shaun of the Dead. We won't have enough time for full movies for the zombie stuff, so key scenes will have to do.

We would then go on to look at social phenomena such as mass zombie walks.

[Iangould]

If you'e just selecting scenes, how about a montage of the "shopping" scenes: both versions of Dawn of the Dead; 28 Days Later; Undead.

The wish-fulfillment of running amok in a supermarket is surprisingly common in zombie movies.

[StoneGold]

I'm not sure either ASS or Kingdom Come really work as an Introductory to Comics type book, especially not to 15 year olds. I know it gets the geek love, but it's a little too reverential for the late Golden Age/Early Silver Age stuff, more for adults to clamor over than kids. Same with Kingdom Come -- fun, but the metaphor is a little too specific, and I'm not even sure it makes sense if you're explaining it to a 15 year old.

Honestly, I'm thinking more Ultimate Spider-Man. It's really more of a modern pop culture phenomenon than either of the other two books. I guess right now, Ultimates would be even more appropriate for obvious reasons, but it may be considered a little more "adult."


Also, you seem to be describing less pop culture, more the ever-widening sub-set of that of nerd culture. Or Comic Con pop culture, as it were.

[Athena Bast]

The best option I've found so far is scenes from Shaun of the Dead. We won't have enough time for full movies for the zombie stuff, so key scenes will have to do.

We would then go on to look at social phenomena such as mass zombie walks.

See if you can find a TV show called Fanboy Confessional. It's Canadian but you should be able to find it out there somewhere. Only a handful of eps but they talked about the Zombie Walk phenomena, cosplay and fur costumes, LARPing, all kinds of stuff I think you might find appropriate.