Pop Culture Name: __________________________________ Shen 

Pop. Culture Final Project  YOUR ASSIGNMENT: 

➢ Choose a pop culture topic that we have NOT covered in class. ALL TOPICS MUST BE APPROVED BY ME. 

➢ Research it. ➢ Prepare an 5-7 minute presentation about your topic for the class. Your presentation should be informative, 

fun & try to incorporate some type of brief discussion with the class.  ➢ THIS WILL SERVE AS THE BULK OF YOUR FINAL EXAM GRADE IN THIS COURSE! 

 You are choosing to profile something that interests you – do your best to interest the class too! Integrate audio/visuals, clips, artwork, etc. to enhance your presentation. I will be grading you on content and presentation so please be thoughtful with your resources & time.   Grade Breakdown: Project proposal/outline (10 points) Presentation (50 points)  Written reflection (20 points) - more details to follow on this as we get closer to exams  

Block 5  Block 6  

Week of June 4th – research (project outline/proposal due by end of class Tuesday) (10 points)   Tuesday, June 12th – presentations begin in class (50 points)  Monday, June 18th – History exam: written reflection on the presentations (20 pts) & movie unit test ( ___ pts)  

 Week of June 4th – research (project outline/proposal due by end of class Tuesday) (10 points)   Monday, June 11th – presentations begin in class (50 points)  Monday, June 18th – History exam: written reflection on the presentations (20 pts) & movie unit test ( ___ pts) 

 SOURCES:  For this project, you MUST use at least 3 sources  

● TWO of them must originally have been in “print” form, i.e., a newspaper article, a magazine article, etc.. (Sources which were originally in print, like a magazine article, still counts as a print source.) Databases which may be useful include Pop Culture Universe, GVLR, U.S. History in Context (GALE), Biography in Context (GALE.) 

● Consider using some of the resources posted on our class website under “Pop Culture Resources”  ● You also must have at least 1 primary source that you somehow work into your presentation. This primary 

source could be episode(s) of a show, music, an interview, artwork, copies of comics, etc. As always, keep track of all of your sources - you do need a bibliography.  If you have somehow gotten this far and still don’t remember how to access the databases ( ♀ ), here’s how: 

➢ Go to www.lsrhs.net. Go to “Quick Links”, click on “Library” and then look for the box on the right side of the page that says “Browse Databases by Subject Area” and find the link for “History.” 

http://www.lsrhs.net/

 CONTENT: (Here are some questions to get you started): 

● What is the topic? Provide some background (where it came from, what it was about, what made/makes it entertaining at the time and beyond.)  

● Who is the audience? What type of people most identify with it? Why? ● How did/do people respond to it at the time when it was most current? Why?  ● Consider what was happening in the time it was created. How does that relate to or influence the topic in some 

way?  ● As with everything we study this year, it is critical that you CONNECT the pop culture to the world we live in. 

What does this source say about our society, values, etc.? How is it reflective of our attitudes, beliefs, norms and values? In what way is society shaped by the source and vice versa?

HANDOUT:  The class needs to take notes on your presentation, but you can help them by providing them with an outline, guided questions which mirror your presentation, key terms, etc.. Your handout should be a ½-1 page long and include at least 2-3 key questions that help to summarize your topic.  

● Before making the handout, figure out what you are going to say and in what order so you can be sure that the handout is easy to follow. You ideally want it to match the information and go in the same order as your presentation. 

● Consider what about the topic is important (they don’t need the minutia of a person’s birthday or hometown.) What’s important to know about your topic? How does your topic reflect the needs of the people in the time? 

● If you get your handout to me the day before, I will make copies of it for the class. If you would prefer to make copies for the class, make 15 copies. 

                       

 Pop Culture Name: _____________________________________ Shen  

Final Project Outline/Proposal 

 Topic: ________________________________________  Provide a brief description of your topic: (Broad overview – this can be note form or paragraph. Feel free to use your notes.)         What do you find most interesting about this topic?  (Why should we care? What makes it significant as a form of popular culture?)         What is your central question or the angle you plan to take for your presentation?  (REMEMBER THE RESEARCH PAPER – you started with a topic, moved to formulating a question, and then answered that question with your thesis.)         What do you plan to teach the class about this topic?  (Please create a rough outline for your presentation below, including mention of subtopics you plan to cover. )