This presentation happened at the Northeast Popular Culture Association annual conference in October 2017. The presentation focuses on different creative and useful strategies for creating and running a course on popular culture, using student choice, open educational resources, and creative prompts. Good tidings, Lance Lance Eaton he/him/his http://www.ByAnyOtherNerd.com https://twitter.com/leaton01 https://www.linkedin.com/in/leaton01/ ____________________ I wish I had all the answers; better yet, I wish I knew all the questions to ask.

1. Wanna Play?
Creative Strategies for
Teaching Pop Culture
Lance Eaton
Brandeis University
North Shore Community College
leaton01@brandeis.edu
@leaton01
http://www.ByAnyOtherNerd.com https://goo.gl/bss4Jc

2. Outline
The Challenges
The Opportunities
Some Examples
https://goo.gl/bss4Jc

3. What to choose?
https://goo.gl/bss4JcSource

4. How to Balance?
https://goo.gl/bss4JcSource

5. Are they getting it?
https://goo.gl/bss4J
c

6. How to evaluate?
https://goo.gl/bss4J
c
Source: Alberto G.

7. Course Dynamics
Open Pedagogy
Choice Design
Reiterative Assignments
Scenario/Role Playing Discussions
https://goo.gl/bss4J
c

8. Open Pedagogy
Open/Free content
OER Content
Archive.org
Library Content
Assignments With Purpose or Re-Use
Blog
Annotating Learning Guides
Student As Learning Contributor
Module Creation
Learning Guide Annotation
https://goo.gl/bss4J
c

9. Blog Example
https://goo.gl/bss4J
c

10. Learning Guide Annotation
https://goo.gl/bss4J
c

11. Module Creation
https://goo.gl/bss4J
c

12. Choice Design
Choose Content
Articles
Primary Sources
Videos & Other Media
Sign-Up
Choose (some) Modules
Case Studies
Choose Assignments Focus
Which Assignment to Do
Choose Assignment Content
Which Content to Cover
Open Pitches
Make Me an Offer
https://goo.gl/bss4J
c

13. Module Reading Options
https://goo.gl/bss4J
c

14. Reiterative Assignments
3 Steps
Selection
Rough Draft (Ungraded)
Final Draft
Revision
Final - 7 Step Process
https://goo.gl/bss4J
c

15. Final - Steps
https://goo.gl/bss4J
c

16. Scenario/Role Playing Discussions
1. Get them into the materials.
2. Put them in a place to think more deeply about how popular
culture affects society and how society affects popular
culture.
3. Allows for a bit more creativity
4. Makes discussions a bit more fun to read
https://goo.gl/bss4J
c

17. Discussion Example 1
You've been tasked by the Cloning Panel with determining whether a cloned cowboy from the wild west could assimilate to
the world today and what could be done to help him assimilate to modern society.
You can make your argument either pro (let's clone him!) or con (don't clone him!). But to prove your point, you need to
rely on the articles that you read and the primary source material that you explored this week (that is, whatever radio
shows, videos, dime novels you read), to help illustrate the quality traits of the Cloned Cowboy. After identifying key
quality traits of the cowboy derived from the readings, you need to discuss how these skills translate into modern society
and where the Cloned Cowboy could look to in order to better assimilate (that is, what modern sources of popular culture
that happen in the present or future are similar enough for the Cloned Cowboy to learn from or even join).
Replies: Though you can provide substantial replies in whatever format you choose, I would encourage the following
approach:
● Further add to the original post, with elements from your own exploration that reinforce or further elaborate what the
original post said.
● Respond as a member of the Cloning Panel with critiques and challenges to what the original post said.
Initial post (200+ words) is due by Thursday by 11:59pm. 1 Reply to another student's Initial Post (100+ words) and
replying to any questions to your own Initial Post are due by Sunday by 11:59pm.
https://goo.gl/bss4J
c

18. Discussion Example 2
You have been selected as a Comics Evaluator, in charge of deciding what comics are allowed to stay and need to go,
what stories are acceptable and which ones will never see the light of day. You have three comics that you need to
evaluate (the three comics you chose for this week) against the Comics Code of 1954. You need to report to the
Comics Czar and explain why or whether these comics should move forward or not.
In your explanation you should discuss whether you agree with the mission of the Comics Code Authority or to reject it
(maybe this will be your resignation letter as well) and what are the major factors contributing to the agreement or
rejection. Such a discussion should include references to the recent comics history of the 1940s and 1950s as well as
some of the discussions and issues the culture at large had (or didn't have) with horror comics.
Replies: Though you can provide substantial replies in whatever format you choose, I would encourage the following
approach:
● Reply as the Comics Czar to comment on what the Comics Evaluator said.
● Reply as a Comics Evaluator providing an addendum with further elaboration to the original post.
Initial post (200+ words) is due by Thursday by 11:59pm. 1 Reply to another student's Initial Post (100+ words) and
replying to any questions to your own Initial Post are due by Sunday by 11:59pm
https://goo.gl/bss4J
c

19. Thank you!
Lance Eaton
Brandeis University/North Shore Community College
leaton01@brandeis.edu
@leaton01
http://www.ByAnyOtherNerd.com
https://goo.gl/bss4J
c