Working on the Zine project with George was very enjoyable. We met multiple times in the library to work on the project and he made sure to complete the parts that he said he was going to do. Working in a group requires a lot of communication, and it can be a very good experience if you choose a partner who is willing to put in as much effort as you. What I learned about this topic is that a lot goes into creating a magazine. It is more than just writing articles. You have to keep in mind your intended audience as well as making sure it is visually pleasing to the reader. Overall I had a good time with this project and pop culture literacy as a whole.
Group Dictionary
1. Shook- (adj.) Denotation- emotionally or physically disturbed Connotation- visably startled Sentence: "I didn't know that was due tomorrow! I'm shook!" 2. Finesse- (v.) Denotation- do something in a subtle and delicate manner Connotation- to talk someone out of their things Sentence: "I finessed George's girl." 3. Wavy- (adj.) Denotation- having or consisting of a series of undulating and wave like curves Connotation- to describe something positively Sentence: "Your new haircut is wavy!" 4. Bet- (v.) Denotation- to risk something, usually a sum of money Connotation- confirmation of plans Sentence: "We'll meet at 2:00 tomorrow." "Okay, bet." 5. lowkey- (adj.) Denotation- something/someone relatively calm Connotation- on the DL Sentence: "I'm gonna sneak out tomorrow, lowkey."
Reflection
The pop culture literacy unit was my favorite part of UWRT 1101. The main goal of the pop culture literacy unit was to show how media, language, and fads have changed over time. This was executed in class discussions as well with our Zine project. In class we talked about different sayings and fads from the 80s to now. We also did an activity where we chose what we would put in a time machine if we were to actually make one for 2016. We chose items for four different categories; social life, music/film/actors, fashion, and technology/gadgets. We also discussed the difference between a celebrity and an icon, because I think our generation gets them confused a lot. It was concluded that icons tend to stand the test of time, they transcend their field, and they represent an entire idea, whereas a celebrity is famous for a brief existence, and it represents a lifestyle of something popular right now. I think something that stood out to me was how easy it was to list popular fads and trends of 2016. I think I’m sort of blind to how easy it is to get sucked into social media and sayings that probably sound ridiculous to older generations who aren’t familiar with our slang. Because I am a teenager in this generation, I was already very familiar with pop culture and fads from our generation, but it was very fun to talk about what was ‘cool’ back in the day too. I agree with the assignments given during this unit because they really helped highlight the entire point of the unit, which was to show how things have changed overtime. I think the Zine project really helped me realize how important it is to know the intended purpose and audience you are writing to. It also taught me the importance of visual aid and how to set up an article so that it’s visually pleasing to the audience.This unit was a fun way to end the semester and it also taught me about how media, language, and fads have changed over time.