Popular culture

History of Marriage

a neat little summary of the history of marriage.  10 key moments.

Britishness

The question of what it means to be ‘British’ is one that appears to have greatly vexed the Government.  They blame a lack of ‘Britishness’ for any failings in society and have a test specifically designed to weed out those not ‘British’ enough to own a British passport.  Teachers are expected to instil British values in students and it is promoted in society.  But what on earth is it?

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Parenting the French way

A fascinating article about cross-cultural differences in parenting.  It would make a great resource for discussing the question of ‘child-centred’ families.

Media and Image

This is a fantastic commentary of the images of women portrayed by the media, commenting on how they project an impossibly flawless ideal.  Jean Kilbourne argues, not just that this image leads to increasing eating disorders and mental health issues among teenage girls, but that the objectification of women’s bodies contributes to a growth in violence against women.

Watch the video and see if you agree.

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TED - videoed talks

TED is a fantastic resources of talks on a multitude of subjects.  Go and have a browse - you are sure to find something interesting / fun / challenging / useful / eye-opening… 

I like this selection on ‘what makes us happy?’

Wikipedia ‘blackout’

Wikipedia’s decision to stage a 24hour ‘blackout’, in response to threatened US legislation, should make an interesting discussion starter for anyone studying media and / or crime and deviance.

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Feminism and Technology

This year’s CES (Consumer Electronics Show) has caused some controversy, with companies employing ‘booth babes’ to help promote their products.  You can watch a news clip here, featuring interviews with attendees and ‘babes’.

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Mass Media: Facebook

Facebook provides plenty of fodder for lessons on the mass media at A level or GCSE.  Try this story summarising what people are actually talking about on facebook the most.

Traditional family?

A survey by the Centre for the Modern Family suggests that few people feel part of a ‘traditional’ family.  Read about it here.

Contraception

Useful article about the impact of the introduction of the contraceptive pill.

Press Ethics

Any student studying Mass Media for Unit 3, should be aware of the Leveson inquiry - a goldmine of examples!  The BBC have been doing a rolling commentary on the witness statements, including that by Campbell here.

More Debate on Black Music

I’ve done a couple of postings on black music - here’s another link. Paul Gilroy, Anthony Giddens Professor of Social Theory at the LSE was speaking yesterday on R4 Thinking Allowed.  Gilroy argues that contemporary black music is of a lower quality than the music produced by previous black musicians and has lost its moral stance.

Rap, Race and Social Class

I heard the crime writer Dreda Mitchell on the radio at the weekend, so of course I looked her up.  This article in The Guardian makes a nice point about the social position and impact of rap music.  Here’s a chunk of Mitchell’s article:

“The real problem with rap is that far from undermining society’s values it’s reinforcing them, and the most fundamental of all our society’s values at the moment is that you are what you own. Commercial rap’s money and success ethic won’t do any harm to middle-class youth; they have access to the professions and property where they can participate in it. For working-class youngsters, taught by our culture since the 1970s that they’re losers and failures, it’s part of a profoundly poisonous cocktail of attitudes. Pride and self-respect are at the heart of this debate and it’s the lack of those, or the wrong sort, that’s really driving the violence on our streets.”

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