Pop Culture Connections Presentation

Title

Pop Culture Connections Presentation

Creator

Erin Breaux, South Louisiana Community College

Instructions

• Since what we read in English 2010 is many centuries old and from a different country, it can be difficult due to language, author’s values, social context, and our modern assumptions—basically, due to the historical breach between them/then and us/now. To help bridge this gap and make the texts more approachable, you—individually or with a partner—will be doing short presentations. There are three presentation days during the semester, each one corresponding to one of our chronological units as we close it out.
• Your early British text must be from the chronological unit with which you’re presenting. However, you do not have to use a text that we read in class. You are welcome to choose any text or author from the anthology volume. So if you have a pop culture idea first but don’t think something we read connects, talk to me, and I can give you ideas for other texts in the anthology that could work.
• By pop culture, I mean literature (novels, plays, stories, poems, memoir, non-fiction, graphic novels, comics), film, television, video games, board games, music, art, dance, advertising, political discourse, sports, radio, magazines, etc. I suggest that you focus on one text or artist since this is not a long essay, or you may discuss one subgenre (like western movies, girls’ games, etc) and use examples from a few particular texts within that subgenre. Only do the latter if you have actually had experience with the texts or have time to review them. The only pop culture texts not allowed are Disney movies or pornography. If you’re really interested in a contemporary text that is an adaptation or inspired by an early British text, and you want to focus on the differences made in adaptation and re-use (and their significance), that is okay, too.
• By connection, I mean an interesting, surprising, important, or problematic similarity or difference. Remember that extremes of similarities or differences are usually not the case, so consider what you find under the surface (i.e. beyond the initial or obvious similarity or difference) and why it matters. The connections could be related to themes, social issues/ values, authors’ voice/ perspective, genre/ structure, language, etc. Consider contemporary issues or texts you like, dislike, know about, are curious about, have read or seen, and then explore bridges between those and British literature. Do not just give us a summary of the texts. Focus on analysis and interpretation, i.e. making interesting connections and meaning.

CONTENT OF PRESENTATION:
In your presentation, you should…
• Only if Needed: Give a very brief summary of your British text or historical moment/issue if we didn’t read it in class, or a very brief summary of your pop culture text if it is more obscure so that most of the class won’t know what it is
• Explain some of the connections you’ve made, and help us think critically about your texts/issue.
• Use specific and relevant textual/contextual examples, evidence, and excerpts/images/clips that show us those connections.
• Stay focused. You should not talk about everything in the texts, nor is the point of the presentation to offer an overarching interpretation that explains an entire text.
• End by making a point about the two texts together after considering possible significance of the connection you’ve focused on or what looking at them together reveals for the reader. Put another way, think about how looking at the texts together gave you new insight, perspective, or significance than when you first encountered them individually.

OVERALL COMPONENTS:
• Visual: You will also create a PowerPoint, Prezi, or handout to complement your presentation. It should include quotation(s), image, video clip, or audio clip from or related to the texts you’re connecting. It may be an excerpt or clip that is a great example of your connections; related to an observation you made while reading or pattern you noticed; support for a point you’re making about the texts; or something you want to highlight and analyze. A media or audio clip (put the URL link since embedded videos don’t always work) should be no more than 90 seconds. Also don’t bombard us with tons of writing on your slides or handout; they should be primarily a placeholder for excerpts or media you will show and refer to during your presentation.
• Research: Secondary research is not required nor encouraged for this assignment. Use only your mind, the anthology, background resources on Canvas, and your contemporary text. I’m interested in your thinking. Plagiarism will result in a ZERO.
• Oral: Your presentation does not need to be memorized, but it should be prepared. You should “speak” to us, instead of reading straight from slides or paper. You are welcome to have an outline or notecards to keep you on track. Complexity and creativity are encouraged; have fun sharing your interests and insights with us! I don’t expect world-class public speaking since this is not a speech class. What I do expect is an organized and well-thought out presentation—one that shows an understanding and application of class texts and issues, along with your own unique connections and insights.

Resources

EXAMPLE CONNECTIONS:
You do not have to choose one of these. Use a British text, contemporary text, and theme most interesting to you!
• Man vs. monster in Beowulf and The Dark Knight Returns
• Structure of romance in Mort D’Arthur and Once Upon a Time
• The sympathetic tragic hero in Dr. Faustus and Breaking Bad
• Pains of love in Renaissance lyrics and contemporary hip hop
• Queenship and femininity in 16th-century England and Game of Thrones
• Depicting the fall in Paradise Lost and contemporary media discourse
• Female sexuality in Fantomina and Beyonce’s song lyrics
• Political satire as genre in 18th-century and Saturday Night Live
• Power relations in Utopia and Scandal
• Ideas on marriage in The Beggar’s Opera and Sex in the City

Outcomes

Your goal for this assignment is to make unique connections (similarities, divergences, or anything in between) between an early British literary text or author and a 20th/21st-century popular culture text, genre, issue, or person. This is an opportunity to connect our class with something you already know or that interests you.

Suggested Rubric

EVALUATION:
Your presentation will be graded holistically based on the strength and effectiveness of these components:
• Depth of critical thinking and connections
• Use of quotations, examples, evidence, and/or specifics from texts
• Ability to engage your classmates and respond to any questions
• Appropriateness and quality of your visual aid
• Clear organization of information and cohesive ideas

Notes

These are instructions from the actual assignment sheet given to students.

Collection

Citation

Erin Breaux, South Louisiana Community College, “Pop Culture Connections Presentation,” Teaching the Middle Ages in Higher Ed, accessed March 28, 2024, https://medievalhighered.omeka.net/items/show/32.