Week 6: USA for Africa

Michael Jackson, "Billie Jean" (US #1, Mar. 1983)

Week 6: USA for Africa
Mo 9.26/We 9.28
Read: FUTURE—Part IV: The Huxtable Effect- Movin’ On Up?, The End of History
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations, Watch—“Tear Down This Wall” from The Eighties (CNN)
Due: REFLECTION 3

Upcoming:

Week 7: Ryan White

Tu 10.4/Th 10.6

Read: BRAT—1- Nothing Compares to Hughes: Teen Cinema and the Man Who Would Change it Forever

Class: Reading discussion; Presentations, Lecture—“John Hughes and the ‘80s Teen Comedy: A Brief Overview”

Due: EXPOSITORY ESSAY

Back to the Future News 9.23.16

• MacGyver rebooted for the 21st century (Atlantic)
• #sheswithher: '80s icon Molly Ringwald campaigns for Clinton in New Hampshire (WMUR)
• Seven '80s TV themes that deserve revisiting (TheWrap)
• Here are some of the '80s milestones coming to The Goldbergs' season four (TVGuide)
• Despite his praises, Donald Trump foreign policy could not be more different than that of Ronald Reagan (Washington Post)
• The number one movie in America this week in 1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark (YouTube)

 

Reflection 3: Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution—When '80s Eighties Music Got Political

Eighties music is often dismissed as silly and inauthentic, nonetheless the decade can lay claim to a substantial amount of socially-conscious music. In reality, it likely produced more politically-charged songs than any decade except the Sixties. Everything from child abuse to nuclear war to African famine received musical attention from some of the biggest stars of the decade. Certainly, 21 century music fans would be hard-pressed to identify as many political songs today as there were in the ‘80s—how many Black Lives Mater or Syrian refugee songs can you name? For this reflection, examine three ‘80s socially-conscious songs. In your examination, look at not only the song itself, but the social issue surrounding it. Finally, would these songs be relevant today? Why or why not?

Choose three of the following songs:

• Bob Marley & The Wailers, "Redemption Song" (1980) [Social awareness]
• Kate Bush, "Army Dreamers" (1980) [Anti-war]
• Pat Benatar,  "Hell is for Children" (1980) [Child abuse]
• Peter Gabriel, "Biko" (1980) [Anti-apartheid]
• Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, "The Message" (1982) [Racial inequity and poverty]
• Billy Joel, "Allentown" (1982) [Blue-collar displacement]
• Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel, "White Lines (Don't Do It)" (1983) [Anti-drug]
• U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (1983) [Ant-war]
• The Specials, "Nelson Mandela" (1984) [Anti-apartheid]
• Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Two Tribes" (1984) [Anti-nuclear war]
• Bruce Springsteen, "Born in the USA" (1984) [Veteran rights]
• Nena, "99 Luftballoons" (1984) [Anti-nuclear war]
• Culture Club, "The War Song" (1984) [Anti-war]
• Band Aid, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (1984) [African famine relief]
• USA for Africa, "We are the World" (1984) [African famine relief]
• Sting, "Russians" (1985)
• Northern Lights, "Tears Are Not Enough" (1985) [African famine relief]
• Artists United Against Apartheid, "Sun City" (1985) [Anti-apartheid]
• Paul Hardcastle, "19" (1985) [Anti-war]
• Suzanne Vega, "Luka" (1987) [Child abuse] 
• Midnight Oil, "Beds are Burning" (1987) [Aboriginal Australian rights)
• 10,000 Maniacs, "What's the Matter Here" (1987) [Child abuse]
• R.E.M., "Orange Crush" (1988) (Anti-war) 
• N.W.A., "Fuck tha Police" (1988) (Police brutality)
• Tracy Chapman, "Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" (1988) [Political uprising]
• 10,000 Maniacs, "Poisoning the Well" (1989) [Pro-environmental]
• Public Enemy, "Fight the Power" (1989) [Racial injustice]

Requirements:

• MLA Style
• Two pages in length

Due: Th 9.22

Week 5: Mary Lou Retton

Toni Basil, "Oh, Mickey" (US #1, Dec. 1982)

Week 5: Mary Lou Retton

Tu 9.20/Th 9.22 

Read: FUTURE—Part III: Why We (Continue to) Fight- Kicking the Vietnam Syndrome, Operation Red Dawn 

Class: Reading discussion; Presentations; Lecture—“The Reading Habits of Active Readers” 

Upcoming:

Week 6: USA for Africa
Mo 9.26/We 9.28
Read: FUTURE—Part IV: The Huxtable Effect- Movin’ On Up?, The End of History
Class: Reading discussion; Presentations, Watch—“Tear Down This Wall” from The Eighties (CNN)
Due: REFLECTION 3

Back to the Future News 9.14.16

• Danke schön: On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, Ferris Beuller's Day Off gets it's first official soundtrack release (Pitchfork)
• Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill also celebrates 30 years—with new commemorative vinyl press (Consequence of Sound)
• The '80s make a comeback at New York Fashion Week (Fashionista)
• The young cast of Stranger Things react to '80s toys and gadgets (Nerdist) 
• The next '80s remake: Alien Nation (New Music Express) 
• '80s horror films get a supercut (MoviePilot) 

Week 4: Premier Mikhail Gorbachev

The Go-Go's, "Vacation" (US #8, Aug. 1982)

Week 4: Premier Mikhail Gorbachev 

Tu 9.13/Th 9.15 

Read: eR—“Ten Reasons Why I Wish My Kids Grew Up in the '80s” (Babble), “21 Things '80s Kids' Did that Would Horrify Us Now” (TheStir), “Growing Up in the '80s was Tough: 17 Things Kids Today Couldn’t Handle” (Metro UK); FUTURE—Part I: Liking Ike, Hating Woodstock- Die, Hippie, Die! 

Class: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY; Reading discussion; Lecture—“Better Reading101” and “Citing Sources in MLA: The Basics”

Due: REFLECTION 2 

Upcoming:

Week 5: Mary Lou Retton

Tu 9.20/Th 9.22 

Read: FUTURE—Part III: Why We (Continue to) Fight- Kicking the Vietnam Syndrome, Operation Red Dawn 

Class: Reading discussion; Presentations; Lecture—“The Reading Habits of Active Readers”

Back to the Future News 9.8.16

• Thirty years ago today: The Oprah Winfrey Show goes national (New York Daily News)
• Unearthed: LL Cool J's "safe sex" radio PSA (Slate)
• Nine '80s examples of Alien rip-offs (ComingSoon)
• The Stranger Things cast shares their favorite '80s movies (Entertainment Weekly)
• Why the '80s TV dad must come back (UPROXX)
• Flashback: Thirty years ago this month, The Cosby Show dominated TV ratings (Chicago Tribune)

Reflection 2: Explicit Content—Controversial Music in the '80s

When it came to its music, the Eighties were a bit of a dichotomy. On the one hand, artists pushed boundaries like never before. Madonna, Prince, George Michael, and others challenged a number of musical and social taboos (e.g. teen pregnancy, masturbation, promiscuity) and were rewarded with commercial success by their young fans. Older Americans, on the other hand, weren’t so enthusiastic. They often met these songs with backlashes, boycotts, and bans. In fact, the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) formed in response to an increasingly sexual and violent music industry—the end result of which was the “Parental Advisory” sticker we know today.

For this examination, choose three of the following songs and videos considered controversial in the Eighties. In your examinations, consider what about the song or video would deem it unfit for young listeners or viewers in the Eighties. Additionally, would they arise controversy today? Why or why not? Finally, taken as a whole, what do these songs say about the society that deemed them controversial?

Note: While some of the songs or videos below would be considered tame by today’s standard, others are still decidedly NSFW.

• Ozzy Osbourne, "Suicide Solution" (1980) 
• AC/DC, "She Shook Me All Night Long" (1980)
• Duran Duran, "Girls on Film" (1981) [Contains nudity]
• Romeo Void, "Never Say Never" (1981)
• Olivia Newton-John, "Physical" (1981)
• Duran Duran, "The Chauffeur" (1982) [Contains nudity]
• Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Relax" (1984)
• Cyndi Lauper, "She Bop" (1984)
• Prince and The Revolution, "Darling Nikki" (1984) 
• Vanity, "Pretty Mess" (1984)
• Twisted Sister, "We're Not Gonna Take It" (1984)
• Sheena Easton, "Sugar Walls" (1984)
• Madonna, "Like a Virgin" (1984)
• Samantha Fox, "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)" (1986)
• XTC, "Dear God" (1986)
• Madonna, "Papa Don't Preach" (1986)
• George Michael, "I Want Your Sex" (1987)
• Beastie Boys, "Girls" (1987) 
• NWA, "Fuck Tha Police"  (1988)
• 2 Live Crew, "Me So Horny" (1989)
• Public Enemy, "Fight the Power" (1989)

Requirements:

• MLA Style
• Two pages in length

Due: Th 9.15

Week 3

Olivia Newton-John, "Physical" (US #1, Nov. 1981)

Week 3: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 

Tu 9.6/Th 9.8 

Read: eR—"Redditors Born in the 1970s and 1980s, What Was Life Like Growing Up?" (Reddit), "Ten Reasons Why Being a Kid in the '80s was the Best" (Huffington Post), "Ten Reasons Why Being a Kid in the '80s was the Best (Guy Edition)" (Huffington Post)
Class: DIAGNOSTIC ESSAY; Reading discussion; Lecture—"Crafting the Essay: Writing as a Process" and "MLA Style 101" 

Due: REFLECTION 1 

Upcoming: 

Week 4: Premier Mikhail Gorbachev 

Tu 9.13/Th 9.15 

Read: eR—“Ten Reasons Why I Wish My Kids Grew Up in the 80s” (Babble), “21 Things '80s Kids' Did that Would Horrify Us Now” (TheStir), “Growing Up in the 80s was Tough: 17 Things Kids Today Couldn’t Handle” (Metro UK); FUTURE—Part I: Liking Ike, Hating Woodstock- Die, Hippie, Die!
Class: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY; Reading discussion; Lecture—“Better Reading101” and “Citing Sources in MLA: The Basics” 

Due: REFLECTION 2 

Back to the Future News 9.1.16

• Golden Girls puppet show to debut off-Broadway (Playbill)
• What glue sniffing deaths in the '80s can teach us about Ecstasy overdoses today (Vice) 
• One man's mission: To restore '80s movie cars (Lehigh Valley Live)
• Rare Ronald Reagan memorabilia to go to auction (Washington Times)
• Long Beach's Neonderthal look back to New Wave for inspiration (OC Weekly)
• Eighties-set female wrestling comedy coming to Netflix (Deadline)