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ERIC Number: EJ907211
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1049-0965
EISSN: N/A
Pop Culture in the Classroom: "American Idol," Karl Marx, and Alexis de Tocqueville
Centellas, Miguel
PS: Political Science and Politics, v43 n3 p561-565 2010
This article discusses the use of pop culture in the classroom as a means to teach foundational political science authors and concepts. I focus on my experience using "American Idol" as a point of reference to discuss Marx and Engel's "The Communist Manifesto" and Tocqueville's "Democracy in America" in undergraduate comparative politics courses. Students are asked to construct a written argument projecting Marx or Tocqueville's perceptions of "American Idol", based on their readings. My experiences demonstrate that asking students to reflect on their own contemporary experience through the prism of these two works helps them in three ways: (1) to better understand the ideas of Marx and Tocqueville, as well as their differences; (2) to develop an appreciation for the continued relevance of works in the discipline's canon; and (3) to sharpen and develop critical thinking and analytical skills.
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A