The Cisco Kid was born over 100 years ago in 1907 from the pen of the genial and bilious author O. Henry (William Sydney Porter, 1862-1910). He is still going strong both in film and television. Before 1913, the year when films became long features, dozens of short films were based on the character. After 1913, feature films either used the actual…

In this article, the author describes how one high school chemistry teacher, Sharon (pseudonym), implemented a literacy-based unit that appealed to her students by capitalizing on their out-of-school interests in forensics and how her students responded to that unit. The author also describes how two colleagues at her school joined her in teaching…

Given the increase in the number of fictional women mathematicians and scientists on television and in the movies, educators who wish to incorporate pop culture into their classrooms need tools with which to evaluate these portrayals. In this article we summarize studies related to the impact of Hollywood representations on girls and then we…

Popular media may be described as television, film, radio, and print media primarily offered for the purpose of entertainment. Such popular media have been the object of critical analysis for decades, both for academic scholars and popular pundits. Our focus is not on quantitative or experimental research concerning popular media effects, but…

This essay emphasizes ways to raise the student interests and help students develop skills for analyzing music and music performances through the television program "American Idol." As music classrooms experience an increase in the number of students from a variety of cultures, valuing the music of all cultures becomes increasingly important.…

This case study closely examines how John (a former student of mine, age eight, second grade) composed during an informal writing group at school. Using qualitative research methods, I found that John selectively took up conventions, characters, story grammars, themes, and motifs from video games, television, Web pages, and comics. Likening his…

In this article, the author discusses how contemporary popular culture influences religious meaning of people in pluralistic society. One such powerful media that influences religious beliefs is the television. Meaning making about faith, how people make meaning, and the nature of those meanings are central concerns of religious education and…

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)

Popular culture provides many opportunities to develop quantitative reasoning. This article describes a junior-level, interdisciplinary, quantitative reasoning course that uses examples from movies, cartoons, television, magazine advertisements, and children's literature. Some benefits from and cautions to using popular culture to teach…

Reports on the perceptions of "Roots" among a nationally representative sample of black Americans. Examines viewing patterns and reactions to "Roots" in relation to seven variables: urbanicity, region, gender, age, education, and income. Suggests that, for Blacks, "Roots" was more than entertainment, and that heaviest…

Analyzes the impact of televised ceremonies (such as the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana) as "media events" which allow viewers to vicariously enter into the ceremony. Compares them with cult movies that, over repeated viewing, encourage audience "participation." Focuses on the narrator's/commentator's role in shaping…

Focuses on Walt Disney and Shelley Duvall, mass media producers who furnish children with fairy-folklore. Compares and contrasts what Disney and Duvall do and do not convey through their fairy-folk tales. (MS)

Asserts that music videos, rooted in mass marketing culture, are reshaping the language of advertising, affecting the flow of information. Raises question about the society that creates and receives music videos. (MS)

Argues that good film and television fantasy is not a retreat from reality but a means of expanding the imagination. (FL)

In order to explore whether the medium employed to promote a given event also helps to shape the accompanying myth which is attached to any significant happening, it will be useful to compare the two rock concerts, 1969's Woodstock and 1985's Live Aid. One difference is the way in which the two concerts were organized, promoted, and executed;…