An introduction to popular culture materials in the Michigan State University Libraries, this combination library guide and bibliography presents finding tools for popular fiction, comic materials, popular music, movies, and television programming. It provides instruction on the use of the card catalog, suggested subject heading search terms, and…

The study of mass media and popular culture in a composition class allows students and teachers together to develop a critical awareness of television and advertising. Jerzy Kosinski's book, "Being There," a novel about the impact of television, is a beginning point for the study of television. Using that book as if it were a collection of events,…

Examines some characteristics of television which are shown to make it an art form distinctive from film. The use of the small screen, the close up, time, and movement in video are discussed to suggest that film and video are different forms of expression, and that each has a distinctive contribution to make to our visual language. (JMF)

Lists 101 ways to use television, radio, film, and other media-related processes and products in the English classroom. (JL)

The immediate, direct effects of the mass media upon individuals are obscure but the indirect effects are substantial. (Author)

Summarizes sources on popular culture which can be used in designing a composition course centered around a mass culture theme. (MM)

Discusses how changes in public school students and the culture that produces them have affected the teaching of history. Examines aspects of MTV's success for clues to the source of students' view of history as irrelevant. Attributes the view to the blurring of differences between the sacred and profane, connections between cause and effect, and…

Television situation comedies have been criticized for their portrayal of dysfunctional family behavior. An exploratory content analysis study assessed the extent of relationship-enhancing communication skills in family-oriented, prime-time situation comedies, a genre frequently targeted for both scorn and praise. Three episodes each of five shows…

Written for teachers, researchers, and theorists who have grown up in a world radically different from that of the students they teach and study, this book addresses the importance of developing within children and adolescents a critical awareness of the social, political, and economic messages emanating from the different forms of popular…

This issue of Focus on Law Studies contains the following articles: "T.V. Law: Image versus Reality" (Suzanne Frentz); "Teaching about Civil Rights in the 1990's" (Cynthia Hamilton); "A Social History of Black Lawyers in Popular Culture" (Ric Sheffield); "Will the Real Lawyers Please Stand Up!" (Susan Adair Dwyer-Shick); "Equality, 'Political…

A study analyzed six prime-time television shows--"The Cosby Show,""Cheers,""Dear John,""Designing Women,""Golden Girls," and "Roseanne"--to examine group communication as it is portrayed on a daily basis in these shows, or how groups interact in the sitcom genre. One episode of each of…

Anger is a public health issue because it can lead to medical, psychological and social problems. However, anger can be beneficial when specific anger management skills are used. This study examined the portrayal of anger on daytime dramas (soap operas). Thirteen commercial television programs, airing in March and April 1986, were selected for…

Although anger is associated with risk of coronary heart disease, failed marriages, and suicide, angry exchanges are not always negative experiences but can be beneficial. Recently experts on anger concluded that television could portray anger constructively by using television characters who listened to the angry person, integrated anger and…

We should resist the temptation to label our times the Age of Television--it really is an era of mass communication, and books play a strong role in this process. A positive correlation between increased television viewing and the increased use of books is indicated by new highs in library circulation figures in the past two decades. Television…

Studies the success of Music Television (MTV), the only cable "narrowcaster" that has survived and prospered. Claims that the promotional power of rock music has altered the marketing and revised the nature of contemporary music. Finds that "music you don't have to watch" is becoming a record industry rarity. (NKA)