CMN 505 broadens the scope of rhetoric in the public sphere established in CMN 456.  Students come in knowing how to ID rhetorical elements in traditional oratory, but here they start to analyze its use and value in everyday communication—how meaning is produced and consumed, as well as how it impacts how we see and act in the world. 

Analysis of Popular Culture will introduce a set of basic questions and theories we can use to approach popular culture, how it is produced, and how we consume it – all with an eye toward understanding how popular culture meanings are created and placing ourselves within them. The course will begin by considering the historical evolution of theorizing about popular culture, as well as the roles of producers and consumers. We then will consider popular culture as part of the larger matrix of U.S. consumer culture in order to understand how marketing and branding campaigns work to construct our lifestyles, our identities, and our world. More specifically, we will work together to:

1. Figure out the meanings of “popular,” “culture,” and “rhetoric”
2. Examine the relationship between producers and consumers and their agency/power
3. Explore the role of capitalism and consumerism in the production of culture
4. Consider the evolution of marketing, advertising, and branding, as well as the implications of “cool,” individuality, rebellion, and resistance
5. Investigate the intersections of pop culture, consumer activism, and digital culture
6. Consider how consumer culture offers rhetorical constructions of race, gender, class, sexuality, and age, and examine various struggles over meaning-making

Podcasting has exploded in popularity over the past few years. As a means of self
expression, sharing information, instruction, marketing, or expressing opinions,
podcasting at its best and most effective is not just a casually produced audio report on
an issue, or high points from an interview. Creating an engaging, substantive podcast
provides an opportunity to inform and express on a high level, and deliver a finished
product in a relatively short period of time.
We will listen to the work of many of the top podcasters, who spend hours carefully
constructing their episodes. We will learn and use many of the same methods of writing,
storytelling, speaking, audio production, and post production traditionally used in
podcasts today. Each student will choose from myriad topics and develop a series on a
chosen topic. There will be a requirement of a minimum of one podcast episode every
other week. Over the course of the semester, students will work at developing and
enhancing their ability to produce sophisticated content which includes strong narrative
communication.