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
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”
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.
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”
