Neuropsychologists have demonstrated the effect music has on the human brain, and that a peak "musical memory age" occurs around 14, when normal bodily maturation is in progress. A group of 114 college students between the ages of 19 and 25 was exposed to short clips of the top 20 songs from each of the 11 years during their youth;…

"Ingles Sin Barreras" is an English-language program that is highly advertised on Spanish-language television in the United States, to the point that it has become a pop-culture phenomenon. In this article, I argue that few people actually use it to learn English, but instead consume it as a symbol of national belonging. This article…

Surveys the evolution of American television criticism, suggesting that, with the current attention to textual and contextual criticism, it is now in an important stage of refinement. (MS)

This paper begins by discussing the difference between genre and gender, defining the former as the study of a systemic totality, and the latter as the split in the totality, reversal, upturning, and break-up of any systemic logic. Also discussed are (1) the difference between nature and culture, and the quarrel between essentialist and…

The sourcebook is one of several supplementary materials for a 15-week newspaper course about popular culture in the United States. Program ideas and related resources compiled in the sourcebook are designed to help civic and group leaders and educators plan educational community programs based on the course topics. Section one describes ways in…

Fifteen newspaper articles about popular culture in the United States are contained in this document. As the basis for a 15-week course by newspaper during the winter and spring of 1978, the articles served as the course "lectures." The articles were written by professors of mass communications, sociology, cinema, journalism, political…

The reader is one of several supplementary materials for a 15-week newspaper course about popular culture in the United States. Four major sections contain 57 readings from sources such as monographs, novels, journal articles, and research reports. The readings present research findings, personal observations, and debate over the definition and…

The study guide is one of several supplementary materials for a 15-week newspaper course about popular culture in the United States. Course objectives are to help students understand the pervasiveness of popular culture in American society, its historical development, the business aspects of the popular culture industry, the effects of mass media…