Kibata

Sign In

Our Services

Get 15% Discount on your First Order

Order Now
[rank_math_breadcrumb]

The term “popular culture” is used to describe the kind of literature, music, painting, architecture, and other cultural matter that is produced for mass consumption. Some popular culture turns out to

The term “popular culture” is used to describe the kind of literature, music, painting, architecture, and other cultural matter that is produced for mass consumption. Some popular culture turns out to be very sophisticated, but much more popular culture is designed to reaffirm and comfort popular attitudes and tastes, not challenge or examine them. Above all, popular culture usually aims to succeed in the market place. Examples of twenty-first-century popular culture include television programs, feature films, popular music of many kinds, video games, and many other kinds of media.

For this paper, choose one form of popular culture for analysis. When you choose a type, or genre, be sure that it is a coherent genre

  • not “popular music” but, instead say, “sentimental love songs of the 1950s” or “goth rock of early 1980s”
  • not “comic books” but, instead say, “Disney comics” or “monster comics” or “superhero-type comics.”

Be sure to select a specific kind of popular culture. Huge genres such as “rap music” or “hip hop” are simply too large for this project. Even more importantly, be sure to select a form of popular culture that you find interesting to begin with. You can choose a topic from a wide variety of material—from comic books and horror movies to TV shows and bumper stickers and magazines, from Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys to 50 Shades of Grey, from plays by Neil Simon and Sam Shepard, to Hayao Miyazaki’s animated films and Haruki Murakami’s novels.

Hide Assignment InformationTurnitinThis assignment will be submitted to Turnitin.Instructions

Upload a Word Doc or PDF of finalized Project Three: Research Essay here.

Project Three: Research Essay 

DUE DATES

Peer Review Draft

Friday, 4/10/26 by midnight

Final Draft

Friday, 4/17/26, by midnight

SUBMISSION

Submit To

iCollege Assignment: Research Essay

Format

.doc, .docx, .pdf

Assignment Guidelines

The term “popular culture” is used to describe the kind of literature, music, painting, architecture, and other cultural matter that is produced for mass consumption. Some popular culture turns out to be very sophisticated, but much more popular culture is designed to reaffirm and comfort popular attitudes and tastes, not challenge or examine them. Above all, popular culture usually aims to succeed in the market place. Examples of twenty-first-century popular culture include television programs, feature films, popular music of many kinds, video games, and many other kinds of media.

For this paper, choose one form of popular culture for analysis. When you choose a type, or genre, be sure that it is a coherent genre

  • not “popular music” but, instead say, “sentimental love songs of the 1950s” or “goth rock of early 1980s”
  • not “comic books” but, instead say, “Disney comics” or “monster comics” or “superhero-type comics.”

Be sure to select a specific kind of popular culture. Huge genres such as “rap music” or “hip hop” are simply too large for this project. Even more importantly, be sure to select a form of popular culture that you find interesting to begin with. You can choose a topic from a wide variety of material—from comic books and horror movies to TV shows and bumper stickers and magazines, from Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys to 50 Shades of Grey, from plays by Neil Simon and Sam Shepard, to Hayao Miyazaki’s animated films and Haruki Murakami’s novels.

Your object will be to explore the relationship between your chosen piece of popular culture and some social issue such as age, race, gender, class, religion, immigration, etc.

  • You will be forming an argument about this relationship, a central thesis that will be supported by your evidence.
  • Evidence for your argument will come from analysis or descriptions of the popular culture as well as from credible research sources you select.

One requirement of the paper is that you use at least five research sources; at least three of those sources have to be peer-reviewed academic texts.

Please keep in mind that you are not writing a report. You are writing an argumentative paper that includes research and adds to a broader conversation about your chosen topic. You are to add to this conversation by making a claim about your chosen topic. Focus on the development of ideas rather than on the accumulation of quotes.

How to Find Topics

  • Read reputable news media (websites such as NPR, BBC, ABC, Time Magazine, The Guardian, NYTimes)
  • Think about how the popular culture (film, music, literature, radio, video games, etc.) you consume engages in some social issues.
  • Do some preliminary research to narrow down your topic to a particular piece of popular culture and a particular social issue.

Additional Topics That Might Interest You

  • 1960s comic books and civil rights
  • Video games and climate anxiety
  • Horror film and gender issues
  • TV shows’ depiction of LGBTQ+ experience
  • Celebrity culture in America
  • K-Pop and social issues
  • True Crime podcasts and Americans’ fascination with violence
  • Portrayals of Italian-Americans in mafia movies
  • 1970s Funk Music and the Black Power movement
  • Stand-up comedians and racial/ethnic stereotypes
  • Social media influencers
  • Sports and political activism

Some Sample Research Questions

  • Do Breaking Bad and similar television crime dramas make people afraid of Latin American immigrants?
  • Are female rappers of the 2020s–for instance, Cardi B. and her associates–modern-day feminists, or just pornographers?
  • Do military-themed video games portray Middle Eastern people fairly?
  • Do “white trash” reality shows slander Americans who live in rural parts of the country?
  • Was “Gangsta Rap” in the 1980s and 1990s a valid form of protest against living conditions in the inner city, or did it simply celebrate violence, drug use, and sexism?

Requirements

  • A well-researched, academic argument that adds a new perspective to the existing conversation about your topic
  • A clear thesis statement that advances a specific, substantial, arguable point
  • Strong supporting evidence from your secondary research
  • In-text citation of at least five different secondary sources (at least three academic sources)
  • A careful evaluation of relevant counterpoints
  • A coherent organizational structure that enhances the argument and effectively portrays the research
  • A strong sense of audience
  • A clear ethos
  • 4-6 double-spaced pages (1,000-1,500 words)
  • Works Cited (MLA)
  • Meticulous proofreading and proper MLA formatting

Don’t Do It!

  • No dropped quotes (always provide the author’s name)
  • No more than one block quote
  • No changing topics at the last minute.

Share This Post

Email
WhatsApp
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Reddit

Order a Similar Paper and get 15% Discount on your First Order

Order Now

Related Questions

Listen to the video on Customer Service vs Customer Experience (Week 5 Reading and Supplemental Materials).Using an organization you have been or still are affiliated with, write a one to two-page exe

Listen to the video on Customer Service vs Customer Experience (Week 5 Reading and Supplemental Materials). Using an organization you have been or still are affiliated with, write a one to two-page executive memo identifying at least three (3) customer or client concerns/issues that may negatively impact the digital transformation.

Instructions: 1. Read the paragraph below. It’s poorly written, unclear, and all over the place. 2. Rewrite the paragraph to make it clear, professional, and polished. 3. Write 2–3 sentences explainin

Instructions: 1. Read the paragraph below. It’s poorly written, unclear, and all over the place. 2. Rewrite the paragraph to make it clear, professional, and polished. 3. Write 2–3 sentences explaining what changes you made and why. 4. Submit your revised paragraph and your explanation here. Original Paragraph (the mess!):

Instructions: 1. Read the paragraph below. It’s poorly written, unclear, and all over the place. 2. Rewrite the paragraph to make it clear, professional, and polished. 3. Write 2–3 sentences explainin

Instructions: 1. Read the paragraph below. It’s poorly written, unclear, and all over the place. 2. Rewrite the paragraph to make it clear, professional, and polished. 3. Write 2–3 sentences explaining what changes you made and why. 4. Submit your revised paragraph and your explanation here. Original Paragraph (the mess!):

After reviewing the Week 4 Reading and Supplemental Materials, create a 2-page Microsoft Word Memo and infographic (instead of a traditional dashboard) for an organization you have been or still are a

After reviewing the Week 4 Reading and Supplemental Materials, create a 2-page Microsoft Word Memo and infographic (instead of a traditional dashboard) for an organization you have been or still are affiliated with.  You do not have real data, so you will create static graphics to represent your data for your infographic/dashboard.

Select a company. The preference is to use your current employer to make these assignments as practical as possible. You may use this selected company for upcoming assignments, or choose a different o

Select a company. The preference is to use your current employer to make these assignments as practical as possible. You may use this selected company for upcoming assignments, or choose a different one to stretch yourself. Research your selected company. This research will be used to support your memo and

Make to Stock Process Using Artificial Intelligence Select a product that you routinely purchase, use in your household, or produced at your job (if applicable).Using an AI software of your choice (pe

Make to Stock Process Using Artificial Intelligence Select a product that you routinely purchase, use in your household, or produced at your job (if applicable). Using an AI software of your choice (perplexity.ai, ChatGPT, Gemini, CoPilot, etc.) type in “Make to Stock Process for (selected product)” Save the PDF of

Forecasting and Capacity Management Using AI Select a company (real or hypothetical) in an industry where forecasting and capacity planning are critical (e.g., retail, manufacturing, health care, airl

Forecasting and Capacity Management Using AI Select a company (real or hypothetical) in an industry where forecasting and capacity planning are critical (e.g., retail, manufacturing, health care, airlines, or logistics). Define the company’s long-range (2–5 years) planning objectives. Use an AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, CoPilot, etc.) to generate demand forecasts

Short paper #2: Recipe + ethnographic Analysis You will connect the theoretical concepts we have discussed in class to the lived experiences of a real person. You will conduct a short, 15-to-20-minute

Short paper #2: Recipe + ethnographic Analysis You will connect the theoretical concepts we have discussed in class to the lived experiences of a real person. You will conduct a short, 15-to-20-minute mini-interview with a woman from Latin America (either in person, via phone, or over a video call). Your

For this learning assignment, you will begin the process of research in ways that directly relate to the final paper. This week you will write on your chosen topic from the list below using one schola

For this learning assignment, you will begin the process of research in ways that directly relate to the final paper. This week you will write on your chosen topic from the list below using one scholarly article that you find in the APUS Library or another academic source, such as Google Scholar.

Instructions Experience is an excellent teacher in the subject of leadership. People learn what to do from trying something themselves and/or watching others. We may tend to base our understanding of

Instructions Experience is an excellent teacher in the subject of leadership. People learn what to do from trying something themselves and/or watching others. We may tend to base our understanding of leadership on the best experiences, those times when we lead well or watch as others lead well. This reflective

You will write a short paper of 3–5 double-spaced pages in APA citation format (including in-text citations and a reference page). The paper should be written in 12-point Times New Roman font. You mus

You will write a short paper of 3–5 double-spaced pages in APA citation format (including in-text citations and a reference page). The paper should be written in 12-point Times New Roman font. You must use at least 6 references, which may include academic journal articles, book chapters, or newspaper articles. How is feminism in Latin America different from

This assignment is for a Curriculum and Instruction course. Please use the topic Elementary Math: Fractions or 5th Grade Science: Ecosystems (whichever is easier) The purpose of this assignment is to

This assignment is for a Curriculum and Instruction course. Please use the topic Elementary Math: Fractions or 5th Grade Science: Ecosystems (whichever is easier) The purpose of this assignment is to This assignment is for a Curriculum and Instruction course. Please use the topic 5th Grade Science: Ecosystems  The purpose

This assignment is for a Curriculum and Instruction course. Please use the topic 5th Grade Science: Ecosystems The purpose of this assignment is to synthesize and design a curricular unit. Think abou

This assignment is for a Curriculum and Instruction course. Please use the topic 5th Grade Science: Ecosystems  The purpose of this assignment is to synthesize and design a curricular unit. Think about something (it can be about any subject) you are familiar with and design a curricular unit that includes

This assignment is for a Curriculum and Instruction course. Please use the topic Elementary Math: Fractions or 5th Grade Science: Ecosystems (whichever is easier) The purpose of this assignment is to

This assignment is for a Curriculum and Instruction course. Please use the topic Elementary Math: Fractions or 5th Grade Science: Ecosystems (whichever is easier)  The purpose of this assignment is to synthesize and design a curricular unit. Think about something (it can be about any subject) you are familiar with