This qualitative, multi-site case study examines two cases focusing on the dialogic relations of secondary English students and their teachers, as they interact with print and non-print pop culture texts related to sports and/or music as part of a curriculum unit on a politically sensitive topic. The purpose of this inquiry is to examine participants' dialogic interactions as they engage with each other and the texts, observing what happens to the curriculum space and whether it influences the teacher's perspective. Data collection includes two interviews with each of the teacher and student participants, three observations of each case, artifacts, and researcher journal entries. Data collected from both cases is analyzed through the theoretical framework of polyphonic dialogue (Bakhtin, 1984). The analysis also interweaves autobiography as inquiry by including reflections on the researcher's own experiences using pop culture texts to introduce politically sensitive topics in the English classroom. Interpretations of the data provide insights into how students responded to the pop culture texts in writing, how they used the texts, and teacher participants' reactions to incorporating them into their curriculum and pedagogy to discuss political topics with students. Findings suggest pop culture texts can enhance students' creativity and critical thinking, act as participant in the emergence of multiple perspectives, and contribute to teachers' ongoing becoming, when used to facilitate discussion of politically sensitive topics in the secondary ELA classroom. Dialogue often became polyphonic as participants were surprised by facts or ideas in the texts, leading to ongoing questioning or development of a new idea, and moments of polyphonic dialogue held space for dwelling in tensions. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]