Pop Culture and Identity Introduction of Essay 1

1. Pop Culture and IdentityIntroduction of Essay 1 “Identity Beyond Stereotypes” and “I Am Not a Mascot”

2. Quickwrite #3 • Pick a quotation from one of the essays that we read for today that you marked as important or worthy of response. • Using one of the templates from They Say, I Say, write at least a paragraph where you respond to the idea you marked, using the template as a springboard for your own ideas. Please make a note in the margin of which TSIS template you used (telling me the page number is fine). Be sure to put quote marks at the beginning and end of any direct quotations from the essays and give credit to the author.

3. “Identity Beyond Stereotypes” by Kiflin Turner p. 139 • Considering Identities: How We Construct Our Identity and What Influences That Construction • Read 2nd paragraph on page 111 (and remember discussion of subcultures on p. 6). • Questions from the Reading • What problematic stereotypes does Turner discuss in his essay? • How are these stereotypes perpetuated? In other words, how are these stereotyped learned and shared? • Have you or those you know about have been stereotyped by others based upon: your race/ethnicity, religion, age, economic class, subculture, or another other identity category? Can you make any connections between those experiences and those of the individuals in Turner’s essay?

4. “I Am Not a Mascot” by Philip J. Deloriap. 299 • This essay discusses the problematic appropriation of stereotyped Native American images as team mascots. • Why, according to Deloria, is this use of Native American images problematic? • Can you think of any other examples from American popular culture where cultural stereotypes or images/traditions stolen from other cultures are used outside of their original cultural context? How is this appropriation viewed by the mainstream culture? How is this appropriation viewed by the community from which the image/tradition originates?

5. Understanding Essay Prompts • Prompts are the key to successful assignments. • It’s important to know how to read a prompt and understand it. • Read and re-read your prompt until you understand fully what is being asked of you. • If you don’t understand, ask your professor to clarify EARLY ON. • If you ask the day before the essay is due, IT IS ALREADY TOO LATE. • Let’s review our Prompt! • Know the minimum requirements and take them seriously. • These include: page length or word count, format, works cited/research required. ALL DUE DATES.

6. Which cultures or subcultures do you belong to? • The first step in writing essay one is identifying a culture/subculture you belong to that has had a profound effect on you. Cultures/subcultures to consider might be based on: • Race, ethnicity, or nationality • Political affiliation • Religion • Sexual orientation • Music (subcultures grow up around different styles) • Hobbies around which distinct subcultures form

7. Further Brainstorming • Look at the various groups you brainstormed. Which ones have been the most important to how you see yourself? • Have you embraced the values/traditions of the culture, or have you rejected them? What were the consequences of that acceptance or rejection for you and how you see yourself? • Do you find yourself moving back and forth between two cultures?

8. Further Brainstorming: • Can you think of any aspect of culture or pop culture (remember this has a very broad definition) that has had an influence on you, or an impact or your identity? • how you think about yourself, how you think about the world around you? • how you express yourself, and interact with people? • Tell me about it. • It can be anything, I don’t judge!