Module 1-2

What is popular culture, and what does it mean to you? After thinking about this question for a while I came up with the answer that popular culture is important because it is always around us. I pay attention to popular culture, as I assume many other Americans do, by watching shows in the evening like Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood, because they are entertaining and interesting to both my wife and I. We are fascinated with entertainment and how it shapes our society, good or bad. Popular culture is essentially entertainment that shapes our societies thoughts, views, and perspectives on subjects that our important to middle-class America. Therefore, the study and understanding of popular culture is essentially a study ourselves.

Why is an understanding of popular culture relevant to you in a business environment and in your present and future career? In any line of work, an understanding of popular culture is necessary and relevant. I work at the Marion Correctional Institution in Marion, Ohio. It is a medium security prison for adult males that houses currently approximately twenty-hundred offenders. Prison culture is different from any other, but popular culture has a huge impact this culture as well. Offenders have access to television, radio, and newspapers like the rest of society. As noted above, my belief is that the study of popular culture is essentially a study of ourselves and in any line of work, especially one working with people directly; an understanding of people’s thoughts, views, and perspectives is necessary to be successful.

What would you consider to be an example of popular culture artifact? And why would you choose it? There were severally things that I considered choosing as a popular culture artifact, but I chose The Sopranos. I enjoy this show and have seen a majority of each season by renting the DVDs. This is a compelling and entertaining show that focuses on a mafia family in New Jersey. The mafia itself is fascinating and interesting and I, like many other Americans find this show and movies like the Godfather or The Don entertaining.