For essay 1, you will need to choose a pop culture artifact to study and analyze. Think back to unit 1 as you consider what kind of artifact you will analyze. You might decide to review a movie or television show, but you could also choose to discuss a mass produced object, a hero or celebrity, a meme, an advertising campaign. A good essay poses a question and then attempts to answer that question. Consider questions like: How does the Kardashian makeup line relate to a growing culture of influencer-based marketing? How does The Handmaid’s Tale delicately avoid exploitation in its graphic depictions of trauma and abuse? What does backlash to a character like Captain Marvel say about the state of superhero fandoms? You will need to write a paper in which you present an argument that answers this question by analyzing the production and distribution, themes, aesthetics, and context of your pop culture artifact. In unit 9, we will further discuss how to properly analyze these aspects of a text, and I will post a short guide on Canvas.
This paper must be 3-5 pages long. Essays will be accepted late but will be penalized -10 points for each day it is missing.
