Criticizes Erving Goffman's theory that human gestures express cultural assumptions which, in turn, legitimize social structure. Contends that Goffman blurs the distinction between his own observations as a social scientist and the interpretations of behavior by people within social situations. (JMF)

Traces the major developments and trends in contemporary popular science. Identifies magazines, television shows, and newspaper sections devoted to popular science and discusses their status and impact. Comments on the rise, fall, and future of the "science boom." (ML)

Analyzes the music preference structure of college students based on responses to a variety of music use and preference measures. Finds that the underlying structure of music preference is multivariate and that there are crucial differences between males and females in terms of their "mapping" of music types. (MS)

Summarizes current research on children's use of audio equipment and argues that records, radio, and tapes play an important role in the personal and social lives of many children. Examines issues and promising approaches in the study of listening in children's lives. (PD)

Discusses youth culture and the role of mass media in transmitting popular culture. Reports a survey of Indian college students that shows (1) radio is the most popular music medium and (2) popular music derived from Indian films is preferred to Western music. (PD)

Presents overview of teaching of popular culture in schools of library and information science assembled from course information and syllabi from 10 schools. Common components in courses offered and descriptions of three specific courses (University of Pittsburgh, University of Illinois, University of North Carolina) are provided. Twelve…

Television programming has a huge impact on the lives of children. This lesson focuses on the stereotypical and racial messages that are portrayed through television programming with a focus on situational comedies. During the four 45-minute lessons, grade 6-8 students will: analyze portrayals of different groups of people in the media;…

What and how do students learn from motion pictures, and how does this knowledge interact with the history they learn in school? This is a complex problem-space and one that has seen little empirical research. To lay the groundwork for exploring these questions, a pilot study utilized a qualitative methodology in which high school students viewed…

Articles in this theme issue explore the state of children and youth at the end of the millennium. Imagination and the arts, ethnographic and interpretive exploration, and traditional social science investigations are used to consider the meaning of childhood and what life is like for children today. The articles are: (1) "Children at…

This teacher's guide accompanies the four videos ("Born to Trouble: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"; "The Shock of the Nude: Manet's Olympia"; "Hollywood Censored: Movies, Morality and the Production Code"; and "The Devil's Music: 1920s Jazz") of the PBS "Culture Shock" series. The guide suggests that the videos could be used in the…

This paper describes the use of school films (popular movies that are in some way about an educator or student) to engage student teachers in critically reflective practice. The paper begins by describing the main goals of the effort, examining the basic structure of the practicum that involves these films, and explaining the various constraints…

Claims that libraries have consistently ignored popular culture materials and urges them to reexamine their purpose and to expand collections and services to serve the true cultural needs of their patrons. Thirteen references are listed. (RAA)

The 1967 MENC symposium at Tanglewood advocated the inclusion of popular music, along with the classics, in the general music curriculum. The author looks briefly at how well this recommendation is being implemented and discusses the benefits of using popular works in music instruction. (SJL)

One of the most successful motivators in elementary physical education today is the concept of "themed learning centers." Such themes might involve the popular topics of superheroes or television stars. Included in this presentation are lists of basic components and purposes for themed learning centers, and a sample learning center. (JN)

Popular culture is defended as a solid academic entry that is a new approach to sociology, art, and literature. The contributions and theories of three professors are discussed: Arthur Asa Berger, Leslie Fiedler, and Alan Gowans. They illustrate the range and diversity in the pop culture field. (LBH)