The final report should emphasize the subject matter of the second half of the quarter, that is, youth culture from the mid-70s to the present. Again, you may choose to investigate youth culture through literary, cinematic, musical, or other work, or through fashion, fads, or subcultures, or analyze a specific sociological or historical trend. You may create your own topic or borrow from the list below.
SAMPLE TOPICS
Media:
Analyze a movie aimed specifically at the young or one that has appealed to youth. What demographic and values does it appear to appeal to? How sophisticated is it cinematically (i.e., artistically)? Is it a candidate for classic status (like The Graduate), or does it play specifically to its time?
In the age of cable, many television shows (and indeed entire channels) play to young audiences. Choose one and argue its themes and relevance to youth. How does it speak to or exploit modern youth tastes?
Analyze a modern work in another medium for content, style, and youth culture relevance, such as comics, graphic novels, anime, video games.
Music:
Analyze a musical group or performer from this period. Don’t just offer a historical account. Did they/he/she have a characteristic message? Was he/she/they musically inventive, or did [pronoun] neatly fit a particular genre? Do you believe this group/performer has staying power and lasting influence, or does it belong only to its specific time? Prove your case.
Since the Jazz Age, music has formed the core of youth culture and subcultures. Think bebop for the Beats, rock’n’roll for the Fifties, acid rock for the counterculture of the Sixties, New Wave or rap for the Eighties, Grunge and Techno in the Nineties. Is music as important a unifying force for youth culture in the 21st century? To what extent?If not, why not?
Female performers from Madonna to Lady Gaga have been cited as examples of “post-feminism”— i.e., women who play up to sexual stereotypes but purportedly exploit them for their own power — “girl power.” Focusing on one such performer (or girl group), does this assessment seem accurate? Or is this simply an attempt to make sexploitation sound politically correct?
Culture:
Could the same be said for recent youth-oriented images of female power from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to similar “kick-ass” women? Choose one or more and argue whether this character type is a feminist role model or simply another male-driven fantasy.
Focusing on a particular cultural style, whether music-based or not (e.g., heavy metal, gangsta, raver, grunge, goth, hipster), does it appear to have a “homology” in Hebdige’s sense? Does it, in other words, represent a genuine subculture, or is it just a fashion statement?
Explore a subculture built around a physical activity, such as modern surfing, skating, extreme sports, or “fight clubs.” How does it differ from other such subcultures of the past (e.g., classic surfing, motorbiking)? To what extent can it even be considered a distinct subculture?
From jazz and bebop to rap and hip-hop, African American music and culture have had a strong influence on youth as “outlaw” subcultures. As American/western society becomes more integrated and multicultural, will this still be true? Are racial distinctions becoming less important?
Generation Y2K:
How has modern communication technology affected youth culture? To what extent is today’s youth culture increasingly built around social networks and smart phones? Does this liberate youth or harness them to consumerism and the new 24/7 workplace? Does interconnectivity promote social change, as some argue, or lock users into purely self-centered worlds, as others insist?
As seen in class readings, youth culture has traditionally embraced authors who represent the worldview of different generations. Are there any authors who speak to the specific concerns of the current generation? If you were to assign a book for a class like this that characterizes Generation Y2K, what would it be? Explain why through a thoughtful analysis.
The Boom Generation was presented as idealistic and rebellious; Generation X as cynical and pessimistic. Do you see Generation Y2K having a coherent public image or identity? Make a case with evidence from various sources, from pop cultural to critical.
Booklist (not sure if we need it or not):
• Jack Kerouac, On the Road (order now from Amazon.com )
• KenKesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (order now from Amazon.com )
• DougCoupland, Generation X (order now from Amazon.com )
• Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club (order now from Amazon.com )
