World is a Text, The: Writing, Reading and Thinking About Visual and Popular Culture

by Silverman, Jonathan; Rader, Dean

Edition:

3rd

ISBN13:

9780136033455

ISBN10:

0136033458

Format:

Paperback

Pub. Date:

1/1/2009

Publisher(s):

Prentice Hall

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Summary

The book teaches readers the usefulness of learning to actively "read" their surroundings. The new edition features a greatly expanded section on writing, editing, and making arguments. This cultural studies reader directly engages the process of reading and writing about the "texts" one sees in everyday life. Using the lenses of rhetoric, semiotics and cultural studies, students are encouraged to become effective academic writers while gaining deeper insights into such popular culture categories as movies, technology, race, ethnicity, television, media, relationships, public space, and more. For anyone who enjoys provocative and engaging material, and is interested in developing an appreciation for diverse cultural literary works.

Introduction
Reading, Writing, Culture, and Texts: An Introduction to the Introduction
Semiotics: The Study of Signs (and Texts)
Systems of Reading: Making Sense of Cultural Texts
The "Semiotic Situation"
(or the "Moving Text")
Texts, the World, You, and Your Papers
Rhetoric: Writing's Soundtrack
From Rhetoric to Writing
Reading the World as a Text: Writing's Overture -
Three Case Studies
Case Study
-Reading Public Space: Starbucks
Case Study
Reading Fonts: How Type Can Say a lot about Type
Case Study
-Can We Laugh?: Reading Art and Humor in Geico Commercials
Reading This Text as a Text: Tips on Using this Book
The World Is a Text: Writing
The World Is a Text: Reading
So, the World Is a Text: What Can You Do With It?
The World Is a Text: Writing
A Short Guide to The World Is a Text
Writing
How Do I Write a Text for College? Making the Transition from High School Writing
From Semiotics to Lenses: Finding an Approach for your Essays
Lenses, microscopes, and windows
Language and elements of literary interpretation
Context, historical and other
Race, class, gender, sexual orientation, region, age-and more
Landing on an Approach: An Entrée to the Essay Itself
How Do I Write About Popular Culture Texts? A Tour Through the Writing Process
Understanding the Assignment
Freewriting and Brainstorming
Outlining
Constructing a Good Thesis
Building an Opening Paragraph: A Case Study
Building Good Paragraphs
Drafting the Whole Essay
Editing and Revising, Editing and Revising, Editing and Revising
Turning in the Finished Product
Some Final Tips-A Recap
How Do I Argue About Popular Culture Texts? A Guide for Building Good Arguments
Knowing Your Arguments
Making Claims
Using Claims and Support to Make Arguments: Some Helpful Tips
Synthesis: Pulling it all together
Know Your Audience
Use Common Sense
How Do I Get Info on Songs? Researching Popular Culture Texts
Researching Non-Traditional Texts: One Method
Nuts and Bolts Research
Guerilla Research
How Do I Know What a Good Paper Looks Like? An Annotated Student Essay
How Do I Cite This Car? Guidelines for Citing Popular Culture Texts
Using Parenthetical References
Building the Works Cited Page
Plagiarism
Works Cited Examples
How Am I a Text? On Writing Personal Essays
-The World Is A Text: Reading
Reading and Writing about the World around You
Reading and Writing about Your Campus
Reading and Writing about The Road
Reading and Writing about Fashion
Reading and Writing about a Bicycle
Reading and Writing about Video Games
Reading and Writing about Social Networking Sites: Making Friends and Getting "Poked"
Reading and Writing about Family Guy: The Semiotics of Stream of Consciousness
Reading and Writing about a Laboratory
Reading and Writing about YouTube: The You in YouTube
Reading and Writing about Advertising: Two Case Studies
Reading And Writing About Television
"Life According To Tv"
"Beyond Fear: Heroes vs. 24"
Black Bart'
Simpson: Appropriation And Revitalization In Commodity
Culture
"Not That There's Anything Wrong With That"
Society's Need For A Queer
Solution: The Media's Reinforcement Of Homophobia Through Traditional Gender Roles
Student Essay: Dave Rinehart, Sex Sells: A Marxist Criticism of Sex and the City
Student Assignment: Hillary West, Media Journal: The Rosie O:donnell Show
The Reality Tv Suite
"Reality Tv Bites-Or Does It: The New Soap Opera Or
The End Of Civilization. A Point-Counterpoint"
"Reality Tv: Remaking Television Culture"
"Real Or Not, It Doesn't Matter"
"Reality Television: American Myths And Racial Ideology"
Reading and Writing about the Visual Arts
The Is it Art? Suite
"Is The Names Quilt Art?"
"It Isn't Pretty But Is It Art?"
"Graffiti: The Anatomy Of A Piece"
Student Essay: Theresa George, "The Multifacted Nature Of Street Art"
"Andy Warhol: The Most Controversial Artist Of The Century?"
Student Essay: Anne Darby, "#27: Reading And Writing About Cindy Sherman And Gender"
"Sequential Art"
The Reading A Photograph Suite
"One Photo, Two Lenses: Frank
Rich And David Plotz On One Of The Most Controversial Photos of 9/11"
"Award-Winning Photo Puts Subjects On Defensive"
"Liar, Liar Pants On Fire"
The Censorship Suite
Life Size andIn Color/American Supreme Justice
Piss Christ
Mapplethorpe, Joe
What Is The Proper Way To Display A Us Flag
Avalos, Hock And Sisco, Welcome To America's Finest Tourist Plantation
Kissing Doesn't Kill
Serrano, Klanswoman
Citybank Posters
Camptown Ladies
The Holy Virgin
Our Lady
Yo Mama's Last Supper
The Boondocks Cartoon
Reading And Writing about Race And Ethnicity
"In Living Color: Race And American Culture"
"Mother Tongue"
"True Tales Of Amerikkkan History Part Ii: The True
Thanksgiving"
"Why Are All The Blacks Sitting Together In The Cafeteria?"
"The Sports Taboo"
"Qallunaat: Inuits Study White Folks In This New Academic Field"
"Race Is A Four-Letter Word"
Betty Shameih: Censoring Myself
Student Essay: Amy Truong, "Gender Expectations and Familial Roles within Asian American Culture"
The Native American Mascot Suite
"Imagined Indians Social Identities And Activism."
"You Know, We Are All Indian:"
Exploring White Power And Privilege In Reaction To The Ncaa Native American Mascot Policy"
"The Indian Wars"
A Suite of Mascot Poems
A Suite Of Cartoons
"Dude, I'm Honoring You."
"Way Cool Outfit"
"Can You Imagine"
Reading And Writing About Movies
"Great Movies: The First 100 "
"The New Hollywood Racelessness: Only The Fast, Furious, (And Multiracial) Will Survive"
"Mock Feminism"
"My Heroes Have Never Been Cowboys"
"Deciphering I: Robot- Random Thoughts From An Evolving Film Critic"
"Construction Of The Female Self: Feminist Reading And Writing About Of The Disney Heroine"
Student Essay: Whitney Black, Star Wars And America
The Sicko Suite
"Need A Doctor, That's Too Bad"
"Botched Operation"
"Sicko And Healthcare Reform"
"Nothing Funny About Sicko"
Interchapter: Reading And Writing About Images
America, Cowboys, The West, And Race
The Images Of Gender
The Semiotics Of Architecture
Landscape, Earth, And Excavation
Laundry
Two Flags
Neighborhoods Cars Signs
Private Symbol/Public Space: The Virgen Of Guadalupe
Two Photos By Diane Arbus
Diners
Maps
Advertisements
"Primitive" Art?
Signs?: Two Murals By Rigo
Texas Postcards
The American Signs On Route 66 Suite
Reading And Writing About Gender
"Marked Women, Unmarked Men"
"Out Of Style Thinking: Female Politicians And Fashion"
"Being A Man"
Student Essay: "Pedro Almodovar and Gender"
"You Would Have Me White" Maxine Kingston, "No Name Woman"
Siobhan O'Connor: "Playing Doctor: The Pro-Life Movement's New Plan For Family Planning"
Student Essay: "Unreal City: Gender And War"
Third Wave Feminism Suite
"Buffy as Third Wave Feminist Icon"
Student Essay: Putting the "Me"
Back in Medical Drama: Grey's Anatomy's
Adventures in McFeminism Student Essay
"La Femme Veronica": Intelligence as Power in Veronica Mars
Student Essay
Classically Different
Takes a New Look at What It Means to Be a Girl
Reading And Writing About Space: Public And Private
"Campuses In Place"
Spatial Segregation And Gender Stratification In The Workplace
"How Suburban Design Is Failing Teenagers"
"Shopping In A Group While Black: A Coach's Story"
Making Space On The Side Of The Road: Towards A Cultural Study Of Roadside Car Crash Memorials"
"Media And The City"
Student Essay: Matt King, "Reading The Nautical Star"
The Mall Suite
"Reading The Shopping Mall City"
"Planned Sprawl' And The Rise Of The Mall"
"The Politics Of No Politics"
"D. C. Panoply-And The First Black Mall"
Reading And Writing About Advertising And Journalism
"Before Jon Stewart: The Growth Of Fake News. Believe It"
"Advertising And People Of Color"
"Weasel Words"
"The America The Media Don't Want You To See"
"Reading Advertising: The Why And How Of Product Meaning"
Student Essay: Brittany Gray, "Hanes Her Way"
Student Essay: Arianne Galino, "Sister Act: A Destructive Form Of Writing"
The Future Of Journalism Suite
"Techno-Optimism Reasons There's a Bright Future for Journalism"
"Rolling the Dice"
"Bloggers vs. Journalists is over"
"Extra! Extra! The future of Newspapers"
"Forum: the Future of Newspapers"
The Iraq War Suite
"Mind Games"
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR): Media Advisory, Iraq and the Media A Critical
Timeline
Live from Baghdad: The press's war
"The press dun good in Iraq. But they could have dun better"
"Red State, Blue State: Hometown News"
"The Blogs of War"
Reading And Writing About Relationships
"Fiction: Happy Endings"
"If Love Were All"
"To Make A Friend, Be A Friend"
"My Mother's Hands"
"Say Everything"
The College Relationship Suite
Student Essay: Emily Littlewood, "Can You Handle The Commitment?: Three Types of College Relationships"
"Boy Friend Between Those Two Words, A Guy Can Get Crushed"
"Off Limits: Should Students Be Allowed To Hook Up With Professors?"
"Case Study: tHarmful Hug"
"When Is It Ok To Invite A Student To Dinner?"
Reading And Writing About Music
"Musical Cheese: The Appropriation Of Seventies Music In Nineties Movies"
Student Essay
"Is Tupac Dead?"
Student Essay
"Right On Target: Revisiting Elvis Costello's My Aim Is True"
Student Essay: "Smells Like Teen Spirit,"By Matt Compton
"Coal Miner's Daughter"
The Authenticity Suite
"All the Memories Money Can Buy"
"Faux Americana: Why I Still Love Bruce Springsteen"
"More Rock, Less Talk: Live Music Turns Off the Voices in Our Heads"
"The Rap Against Rockism"
Reading and Writing about Technology
Credits
Index
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