Week 11

Week 11
Read: INC—“5. #scandals – Kim Kardashian Versus Paris Hilton: Innovation in the Celebutante Market” – “8. #tweets – Ashton Kutcher: The Evolution of the Digital Celebrity”

Mo 04.01
NO CLASS—CESAR CHAVEZ DAY

We 04.03
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY
Due: REFLECTION 06

Upcoming:

Week 12

Read: INC—“9. #singingsolo – Taylor Hicks: Building a Career after American Idol” –“12. #beingdead – Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley: The Afterlife of Fame”

Mo 04.08

Reading discussion; Watch—“Daniel Radcliffe” from Extras (2006)

We 04.10

Reading discussion; Writers workshop

Due: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS (DRAFT 1; BRING 2 COPIES)

Celebrity News 03.26.13

• China's new first lady: A fashion icon rises (Daily Telegraph)
• Is a gay NFL player about to come out? (CBS Sports)
• Study says celebrity endorsements may lead kids to eat more (Reuters)
• Has the Aurora shooter converted to Islam? (Al Jazeera)
• A geneticist "predicts" what Prince William and Kate Middleton's child will look like—as a girl and as a boy (Marie Claire)
• Does science need its own celebrity spokesperson? (PLOG)

Reflection 06: The "Exclusive" Inside Story—Exploring Tabloid Magazines

People currently has the ninth largest circulation in the United States, and it earned a staggering $997 million in advertising revenue in 2011. These figures speak to the popularity of celebrity-fueled tabloid magazines in America. With all the twists and turns of a Mexican soap opera, tabloid magazines have created a large and loyal following. But what is at the core of their immense popularity? For this reflection, examine two of the six major American tabloids (People, Us, Star, In Touch, Ok!, and Life & Style). In your analysis, decipher the mass appeal of these magazines. Specifically, what are some of the techniques they employ to get readers to come back week after week? What is the lure for readers? Finally, how would you characterize their treatment of celebrities, and is there anything in the magazines that you believe crosses the line?

For this reflection, examine two of the following magazines:

• People
• Us 
• Star 
• In Touch
• Ok! 
• Life & Style

Note: You are not required to purchase any of these magazines. You must simply spend some time examining them. Also, look only at the print versions; web editions will not suffice for this reflection.  

Requirements:

• MLA Style
• Two full pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: We 04.03

Week 10

Week 10
Mo 03.25
NO CLASS—SPRING BREAK

We 03. 27
NO CLASS—SPRING BREAK

Upcoming:

Week 11
Read: INC—“5. #scandals – Kim Kardashian Versus Paris Hilton: Innovation in the Celebutante Market” – “8. #tweets – Ashton Kutcher: The Evolution of the Digital Celebrity”

Mo 04.01
NO CLASS—CESAR CHAVEZ DAY

We 04.03
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY
Due: REFLECTION 06  

Reflection 05: In It to Win It—Winning a Reality TV Competition

Could you win a reality TV competition? If so, which one? Are you the next American Idol or America's Next Top Model? Are you best suited for an in-studio competition, such as Chopped, or are you willing to get physical on a show like The Amazing Race? What would you be willing to do, and what would be off-limits? What is the appeal of these shows? Specifically, why are so many people willing to humiliate themselves on national television? Is it for the money? The chance to compete? A shot at fame?

Include at least three of the following in your discussion:

• "Who Wants to Be a Cognitive Neuroscientist Millionaire?" (Seed)
• "The Real Deal: Life After Winning a Reality Show" (MSN)
• "Ian Terry: Winning 'Big Brother' is Surreal" (CBS News)
• "Reality Bites After the Lights Go Out" (CNN)
• "Secret Rituals of 'American Idol' Auditions Exposed" (Daily Beast)
• "The Day ... I Won 'The Amazing Race'" (Hall of Fame Network)

Requirements:

• MLA Style
• Two full pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: We 03.20

Celebrity News 03.18.13

• E! producer's deposition: Kim Kardashian's proposal was staged, edited, even reshot (Huffington Post) 
• Taylor Swift: Is the bloom is off the rose? (New York Times) 
• Charlie Sheen plots revenge on the school where his daughter was bullied (Yahoo! News) 
• Twilight author Stephenie Meyer: Kristen Stewart's cheating scandal was "tragic" (Us Weekly) 
• Man taunts boxer Curtis Woodhouse on twitter, gets a visit at home from the Woodhouse himself (Bleacher Report) 
• Doxxed: Mysterious website posts private financial information of celebrities (Daily Beast)

BREAKING: Ohio High School Football Players Found Guilty in Rape Trial

• "Steubenville, Ohio, Football Players Guilty in Rape Trial" (ABC News)
• "Steubenville Rape Guilty Verdict: The Case That Social Media Won" (Time)
• "Lesson from Steubenville Trial: How Jock Culture Morphs into Rape Culture" (Forbes)

Week 09

Week 09

Read: INC—“1. #babies – Shiloh Jolie-Pitt: The Magazine Market and the Bull Run for Celebrity Baby Pictures” – “4.  – Oscar: What's an Academy Award Worth?”

Mo 03.18

Reading discussion; Presentations

We 03.20
Reading discussion; Presentations

Due: REFLECTION 05

Upcoming:

Week 10
Mo 03.25
NO CLASS—SPRING BREAK

We 03. 27
NO CLASS—SPRING BREAK

Week 11
Read: INC—“5. #scandals – Kim Kardashian Versus Paris Hilton: Innovation in the Celebutante Market” – “8. #tweets – Ashton Kutcher: The Evolution of the Digital Celebrity”

Mo 04.01
NO CLASS—CESAR CHAVEZ DAY

We 04.03
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY
Due REFLECTION 06  

Celebrity News 03.11.12

• A fed up Justin Bieber lunges at the paparazzi: "I'll f--king beat the f--k out of you!" (Huffington Post)
• Sophia Coppola's teases The Bling Ring, based on the real life gang of thieving celebrity wannabes (Slate)
• Kate Gosselin blames her ex-husband for forthcoming tell-all book (Radar)
• Behind closed doors: Tom Cruise's tabloid lawsuit moves to private mediation (E!)
• MMA fighter Fallon Fox comes out as trans (OutSports)
• Why rednecks rule realty TV (CNN)

Week 08

Week 08

Read: eR—“Students Set Course: How Do You Want To Be Remembered?” (Hartford Courant), Excerpts from “The 100 Years Project” (DanaRoc.com), “Song for the Special” (Yale Daily News)

Mo 03.11 

Reading discussion; Lecture—“The Most Common Grammatical Errors—And How to Avoid Them” 

We 03.13

Reading discussion; Presentations 

Due: EDITORIAL ESSAY (FINAL DRAFT; ATTACH A COPY OF DRAFT 1 AND A ONE PARAGRAPH SUMMARY OF THE CHANGES YOU MADE FOR YOUR FINAL DRAFT)

Upcoming:

Week 09

Read: INC—“1. #babies – Shiloh Jolie-Pitt: The Magazine Market and the Bull Run for Celebrity Baby Pictures” – “4.  – Oscar: What's an Academy Award Worth?”

Mo 03.18

Reading discussion; Presentations

We 03.20

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY

Celebrity News 03.06.13

• It's a Jennifer Lawrence lovefest (CNN)
• Why have we turned on Anne Hathaway? (Huffington Post)
• David Beckham visits a French store, madness ensues (StyeBistro)
• Perez Hilton is a dad (PerezHilton)
• Miss Delaware Teen USA resigns amidst a porn scandal (Huffington Post)
• Teen, lost in the wilderness, credits his survival skills to Man vs. Wild (ABC News)

Week 07

WEEK 07
Read: COLD—p. 201-343

Mo 03.04
Reading discussion; Presentations, Lecture—“How to Build a Solid Argument”
Due: REFLECTION 04

We 03.06
Reading discussion; Writers workshop
Due: EDITORIAL ESSAY (DRAFT 1; BRING 2 COPIES)

Upcoming:

Week 08

Read: eR—“Students Set Course: How Do You Want To Be Remembered?” (Hartford Courant), Excerpts from “The 100 Years Project” (DanaRoc.com), “Song for the Special” (Yale Daily News)

Mo 03.11 

Reading discussion; Lecture—“The Most Common Grammatical Errors—And How to Avoid Them” 

We 03.13

Reading discussion; Presentations 

Due: EDITORIAL ESSAY (FINAL DRAFT; ATTACH A COPY OF DRAFT 1 AND A ONE PARAGRAPH SUMMARY OF THE CHANGES YOU MADE FOR YOUR FINAL DRAFT)

 

Editorial Essay:In Cold Blood and the American Fasciantion with Crime

Upon its release in 1966, Truman Capote's In Cold Blood galvanized the country. The story of a Kansas family's gruesome murder captivated readers at a time when such crimes were still largely out of the public consciousness. Capote's book not only spurred the birth of creative nonfiction, it also helped whet the country's appetite for gritty crime stories. Nearly fifty years later, crime dominates our television, film, and literature, with no sign of letting up. But is our culture's fascination with crime an unhealthy one? What happens to our understanding of these horrific events when they're dramatized using fictional techniques? Ultimately, has our culture been positively or negatively affected by In Cold Blood? In a concise editorial, examine the legacy of In Cold Blood, including its profound effect on the public's view of crime. To support your thesis, cite evidence from In Cold Blood and the following articles: 

• “Creative nonfiction: Where Journalism and Storytelling Meet” (The Writer)
• “’In Cold Blood,' Half a Century On” (Guardian)
• “’In Cold Blood’: A Legacy, in Photos” (Lawrence-Journal-World)
• “’In Cold Blood,’ a Cold Case Police Decide is Worth Digging Up” (Los Angeles Times) 
• "One Night on a Kansas Farm" (New York Times)

Requirements:

• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation
• 3-page minimum
• Include a works cited page

The best papers:

• Have a title that articulates its point of view
• Stay within the parameters of the subject matter
• Have a concise thesis which clearly outlines a position
• Are written in a voice that is casual, yet informed
• Clearly support their thesis with solid evidence and a logical structure, citing from In Cold Blood and the articles above
• Conclude with a summation of the argument
• Properly cite evidence using MLA's parenthetical citation method
• Are in compliance with MLA Style

Sample editorials from the New York Times:

• "Changing Minds after Newton"
• "As the Cuts Hit Home"
• "For Pope: A Dude Like Dad"
• "Grand Old Parity"

Due: Wed 03.06 (Draft 1; Bring 2 copies)