American Popular Culture Commons^™

Murrow And Friendly’S Small World: Television Conversation At The Crossroads, Kathleen Collins

Publications and Research

Small World

(1958–60), an Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly television production, brought together political and entertainment figures from around the world, boasting technological innovation and a high level of public affairs discourse. The author discusses critical reception, producers’ ideals, cultural and historical context, and relation-ships to evolving notions of public service broadcasting.

Citizen Bunker: Archie Bunker As Working-Class Icon., Kathleen Collins

Publications and Research

Archie Bunker, the central character and patriarch of Norman Lear’s “All in the Family,” (1971-1979) has been referred to as an “everyman” and an “angry-man prototype” with “hard had prejudice.” The name Archie Bunker itself has become synonymous with a blue-collar, racially chauvinistic mentality. The title of the show’s pilot and theme song, “Those Were the Days,” emphasized Archie’s dream of a simpler (though idealized) time, a world that he could understand and upon which he could exert some control. In 1970s America, Archie seemed to feel that the world was against him – economically, socially, politically and culturally – …

Staebell, Sandra L., B. 1958 (Fa 572), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 572. Compact disc of Sandra L. Staebell’s December 2011 interview with June McGuyer, discussing Elizabeth Richardson (McGuyer’s mother), her interest in quilting, and her collecting related to quilts and quilting.

Feminizing Presidents: Joseph Keppler And Gender In Gilded Age Political Cartoons, Jerome Gonzalez

American Studies Senior Theses

Amid the crowded newsstands of American cities in the late nineteenth century, the average reader flipping through a copy of Puck, a weekly humor magazine devoted to political and social issues, may have been surprised to see an unusual print: that of the President of the United States depicted in women’s clothing, with feminine features, performing a womanly task! These few drawings, alluding to both literary and social ideas, done by the Austrian immigrant artist Joseph Keppler, appeared in his Puck magazine in the years 1877, 1880, and 1884, coinciding around an election year. While Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes, James …

The Writing On The Stall: Graffiti, Vandalism, And Social Expression, Brett Wolff

Kaleidoscope

Graffiti and vandalism are everywhere in the modern city; they seem to be part of the typical urban background. While graffiti are usually associated with concrete walls, bridges and train cars, one particular area of focus of vandalistic writing is the walls and stalls of public bathrooms. This area, for both obvious, and sometimes unclear reasons, is a popular forum for anyone wanting to write. This project was conducted with the intent of better understanding these somewhat ubiquitous and seemingly mundane scribbles. As the first step toward this goal, a literature review of approaches to vandalism was conducted. This theoretical …

Art+Politics, Shannon Egan, Jenna L. Birkenshock, Hillary B. Goodall, Tessa M. Sheridan, Josiah B. Adlon, Megan E. Hilands, Emily A. Francisco, Molly E. Reynolds, Shelby P. Glass, Colleen L. Parrish, Francesca S. Debiaso

Schmucker Art Catalogs

For the exhibition Art + Politics, students worked closely with the holdings of Gettysburg College's Special Collections and College Archives to curate an exhibition in Schmucker Art Gallery that engages with issues of public policy, activism, war, propaganda, and other critical socio-political themes. Each of the students worked diligently to contextualize the objects historically, politically, and art-historically. The art and artifacts presented in this exhibition reveal how various political events and social issues have been interpreted through various visual and printed materials, including posters, pins, illustrations, song sheets, as well as a Chinese shoe for bound feet. The students' …

The Grand Tour And Development Of Tourism: 1600-1900, Osher Map Library

Osher Map Library Exhibition Catalogs

The Grand Tour and Development of Tourism, 1600 to 1900.

October 4, 2011 to April 28, 2012

The 400th anniversary of Thomas Coryat’s "Crudities" (1611), the first tourist memoir, is celebrated by this history, to 1918, of the European tourism industry and the development of guidebooks and maps.

Curated by Yolanda Theunissen, USM.

Pop Culture, Politics, And America's Favorite Animated Family: Partisan Bias In The Simpsons?, Kenneth Michael White, Mirya Holman

Faculty Articles

An essay is presented on the impact of the political content of the television program "The Simpsons" on the politics, pop culture and viewers in the U.S. It offers an overview of the creation of the show and explores the different aspects of the show, particularly the debate over its so-called partisan bias. It also discusses the criticism from Republicans including former President George H. W. Bush that the show favors the left.

The Cultural Politics Of Wmd Terrorism In Post-Cold War America, Harold Williford

Re-visioning Terrorism

Terrorism’s definition is hotly debated and notoriously problematic. The resulting instability of counterterrorism and counterterrorist identity, however, is less often explored. This paper analyzes the prehistory of the War on Terror to explore how the meaning and associations attributed to terrorism by counterterrorists in the 1990s reflect the latter’s priorities, agenda, and anxieties. Prevalent ahistorical post-Cold War representations of terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as a “new” threat indicate that WMD-wielding terrorists functioned to justify the continued existence of the American national security state after the Soviet Union collapsed. Close readings of Rainbow Six, a Tom Clancy …

Ferguson, Lynne Marrs (Hammer), B. 1956 (Fa 569), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text (click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 569. Paper: "Where Have All the Flowers Gone: A Study of a Funeral Ribbon Quilt" written by Lynne Marrs (Hammer) Ferguson for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Humphreys, George Gary, B. 1949 (Fa 564), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 564. Interview conducted by George Gary Humphreys with Lexington attorney and political memorabilia collector Julius Edward Rather. Rather discusses 20th century politicians he knew and how he got involved in collecting political memorabilia.

How Does The Fictional Tv Marriage Influence A Young Adult's Own Perceptions About Marriage?, Gina A. Svedsen

Student Work

This study explored the relationship between television influence and the young adult‘s perception of marriage. The participants were 178, college-aged males and females (median age 20) from a large Midwestern university. How much television participants watched and the types of programs they watched were examined. Participants were asked where they got their information about marriage and how they thought marriage was displayed on TV. Two hypotheses were tested -- H1: Female students are more likely than male students to use TV programs for ideas on what marriage is really like; H2: Television has a greater influence over female students than …

Mercer, Fannie (Guy), 1855-1940 - Collector (Sc 176), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) Manuscripts Small Collection 176. Printed invitation, 15 June 1932, to Miss Sarah Leat for a July 4th ball at B. Vance's Hotel, Bowling Green, Kentucky, and newspaper clipping, 1929, concerning the invitation. Also holographic copy of lyrics of "Old Folks at Home."

Watch What You Eat: From Self-Surveillance To Affective Eating, Constance Calice

Cultural Studies Capstone Papers

How is it that Americans are so obsessed with nutrition and dieting and yet remain unhealthy? This project attempts to give a theoretically driven answer to this great paradox within the Western diet. Constance Calice analyzes the practice and rhetoric of dieting as a crystallization of a problematic relationship to food using a Foucauldian understanding of discipline. Using examples from the media, she illustrates the way in which outside forces effect our food choices and the power relationships formed in this exchange. To offer an alternative view to nutritionism she looks to the Local Food Movement and affect theory to …

Ragland, Mark S. (Fa 559), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 559.  Paper:  "Influence of Popular Culture on the Subject of Art," done by Mark S. Ragland as part of a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.  Includes an interview done by Ragland with artist and art educator Michael Taylor about the influence of popular culture on art, with particular emphasis on the pop art genre.

Johnson, Mackenzi (Fa 514), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 514.  Collection consists of short interviews conducted by Mackenzi Johnson with Kenneth Nixon about folk customs and foodways, two of Johnson’s young cousins about children’s rhyming and clap games, an informal interview with Charita Swann, as well as discussions of Native American culture and life with Arigon Starr and Gay Wapecome.  Also includes a performance by Arigon Starr at Bluebird Café in Nashville, Tennessee.  This project was completed for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Osborne, Theresa (Fa 513), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 513.  Material collected by Theresa Osborne about an event called “Country Fair Day” held at the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum, Benham, Kentucky, featuring presentations about material culture.  Also includes a paper focusing on local material culture and foodways and a small collection of interviews documenting recollections of Kentucky residents.  This project was completed for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Lybarger, Shaunn Maree (Fa 41), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 41.  Interviews conducted by Shaunn Maree Lybarger with Langdon Dyer about his gardening and marketing of produce at the Bowling Green farmers market.  Also includes biographical data, including information about Dyer’s service as an Army Air Corps pilot during World War II.

Pannell, Jennifer Lynn, B. 1985 (Fa 555), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text (click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 555.  Ethnography project on three deer hunters, focusing on motivation, skills, equipment, and venison preparation.  Project was completed for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Wronski, Genevieve Elissa, B. 1980 (Fa 556), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text (click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 556.  Ethnography project focused on three tattoo artists and their art in Glasgow, Kentucky.  Focuses on skills, training, procedures, machinery, aesthetics, and artist inspiration.  Also provides a brief history of tattooing.  Project was completed for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Threlkeld, Matthew Kohl, B. 1985 (Fa 552), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text paper (click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 552.  Ethnography project focused on Prince’s Hookah Lounge in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  The cultural and social aspects of a hookah lounge are explored, with particular focus on its importance to Saudi Arabian students at Western Kentucky University.  Project was completed for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Tracy, Janet (Fa 40), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 40.  Collection consists of interviews with Artie Emmet Lemaire about his business selling merchandise at flea markets and roadside stands in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  Interviews also include biographcial data about Lemaire.

Smith, Corey William, B.1989 (Fa 549), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text paper (click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 549.  Joke collected from Joe Lohden by his stepson Corey Smith, which was told to Smith during his childhood.  This project was a requirement for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Parrish, Erin Kate, B. 1989 (Fa 545), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text (click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 545. Folk similie and a superstition collected by Erin Kate Parrish. This project was completed as a requirement for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Fisher, Lucas Samuel, B. 1987 (Fa 547), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text (click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 547.  Paper titled:  "Bowling Lingo," written by Lucas Samuel Fisher about the folk speech of bowlers, gathered in Glasgow, Kentucky, and nationally through an online bowling forum.  This project was a requirement for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Meredith, Maria, B. 1987 (Fa 546), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text (click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 546.  Proverb collected by Maria Meredith from her father, Walter Meredith, about Christmas tree customs in their family.  It details when the tree should be taken down.  This project was a requirement in a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Shirley, Latrel, B. 1989 (Fa 543), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text (click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 543. Paper titled "The Bible Time Capsule" written by Latrel Shirley about Lisa Gail (Morrison) Shirley's Bible and the ephemera stored in it. Includes colored illustrations.

Wronski, Genevieve Elissa, B. 1980 (Fa 544), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text (click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 544. Paper titled "The Monkey Walk" written by Genevieve Elissa Wronski in which she documents Brian Greever's ape imitation performed at social parties. Includes colored illustrations and video.

Buttram, Nora Agnes (Crump), B. 1944 (Fa 539), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 539. Paper: "How Pig Store Goft Its Name" in which Nora Buttram relays how a community general store in Edmonson County, Kentucky received its name. The brief paper is based on an interview with William Barbee of Smiths Grove, Kentucky.

Breedlove, Andrew, B. 1987 (Fa 557), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text (Click of "Additional File" below) for Folklife Archives Project 557. Paper: "The Thin Line Between Reality and the World of Warcraft" in which Andrew Breedlove examines the popular role playing game. He includes his paper with illustrations and notes, interviews on compact discs with two friends who participate in World of Warcraft, and indexes to the interviews.