Suggests that mass communication studies accept the critical challenges posed by fringe television--the programing that surrounds the prime-time domain of the three major networks. Identifies and maps various fringe sectors appearing on today's broadcast and cable schedules, and surveys critical imperatives involved in future studies of fringe…

Reviews Ralph Smith's article "The Question of Elitism." Questions Smith's criteria for excellence and his assertion that art must be judged by a single, absolute scale. Argues that populism is pervasive in all aspects of American life and that elitism is deadening to culture. (BSR)

Critically reviews several intellectual developments that have legitimized the study of popular culture in American universities in recent years, including (1) a sociological perspective that minimizes the differences between high and popular culture, (2) a broadening of what can be studied as a "text", and (3) increasing attention to the…

Discusses the cultural identity and experiences of Puerto Ricans residing in New York City. Explores, through excerpts of poetry by "Nuyoricans," the themes of assimilation, attachment to the island of Puerto Rico, relations with Black and White New Yorkers, and bilingualism. (GC)

Recommends playing Anne Murray's recording of "A Little Good News" to promote discussion about the nature of news and Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billy Joe" for discussion on writing news stories about suicides. (CRH)

Computer games, rock video, television, and movies are robbing teenagers of time they should be using to develop their minds. However, the electronic media do have a positive potential. A 10-item reference list is provided. (Author/DCS)

This paper gives an overview of censorship in Germany. The paper recognizes that between the human right and constitutional law of freedom of speech, art, and press on the one side and the social life of man which must be ensured on the other side, the right of free expression can clash with human dignity. It discusses which books, films, records,…

Most Black memorabilia and collectibles depict distorted, stereotyped images of Blacks, reflecting a past in which racism was directly pervasive, and insidious. Internalization of these symbols and images has made the concept of Black inferiority an inherent and persistent part of American culture, on both conscious and unconscious levels.…

Warns that schools must make sure that students are aware of the relationship between reality and image, particularly the image presented by television. (JL)

Argues that, contrary to what many proponents believe, the recommendations of the MacBride Report would also help stop the rapidly deteriorating military, diplomatic, and economic situation of the Anglo American countries from which the most important international communication flow originates. (PD)

Teachers and students who are ethnographers and who study the artifacts and "visual sign making" of their own culture will learn to value and understand the arts, as well as to produce art that matters. (Author)

Reports on a class activity in which students wrote letters to leaders and personalities in the fields of art, literature, and politics to solicit bits of their "trash" for a student art show. (RL)

Examines the problems of spoken poetry, both from the poet's viewpoint and from the viewpoint of adolescents in literature classes. Considers the efficacy of conceptualizing poetry, especially spoken poetry, as popular art. (RL)

Examines the social and cultural behavior patterns transmitted through French children's literature over the 40-year period between 1930 and 1975, and examines the extent to which these patterns make children "French." (AM)

Discusses the inaccuracy of Revere's "Boston Massacre" print as a description of historical fact. Notes, however, that the print is still a description of truth, a correct understanding of the meaning and portent of the occurrence in a way that historical accuracy (rather than art) might well have distorted. (JMF)