Test Questions
Three of the following essay questions will be on the test. You will answer one. (There will also be short answer questions.)
Use material from articles, presentations, documentaries, lectures, etc. whenever you can. You are allowed a study sheet, but it must be your own work.
OPTION ONE: The Visual Culture of the Technicolor Decade
Colour was a big deal in the 1950s. It was associated with modernity and progress. It seduced the viewer and the consumer. Use specific examples from articles and images from the 1950s to explain the role colour played.
OPTION TWO: Visual Culture and the Big Lie
In Oakley's article on women he introduces us to the concept of the "Big Lie." Explain what it was and discuss it in relation to specific examples from the visual culture of the 1950s which either demonstrate it in action, or challenge it.
OPTION THREE: Visual Culture and the American Dream
Sut Jhally in "Advertising and the End of the World" explains that advertisements both shape and reflect people's dreams and anxieties. Explain what specific examples from the visual culture of the 1950s show us about the American Dream (or nightmare!).
OPTION FOUR: Visual Culture and Family Life
In Visual Culture we use images to understand the past. This has its strengths, but it also has its limitations. We have looked at lots of advertisements from the 1950s which show us aspirational/prescriptive depictions of family life. Use specific examples from the course to question the accuracy of these images.
Use material from articles, presentations, documentaries, lectures, etc. whenever you can. You are allowed a study sheet, but it must be your own work.
OPTION ONE: The Visual Culture of the Technicolor Decade
Colour was a big deal in the 1950s. It was associated with modernity and progress. It seduced the viewer and the consumer. Use specific examples from articles and images from the 1950s to explain the role colour played.
OPTION TWO: Visual Culture and the Big Lie
In Oakley's article on women he introduces us to the concept of the "Big Lie." Explain what it was and discuss it in relation to specific examples from the visual culture of the 1950s which either demonstrate it in action, or challenge it.
OPTION THREE: Visual Culture and the American Dream
Sut Jhally in "Advertising and the End of the World" explains that advertisements both shape and reflect people's dreams and anxieties. Explain what specific examples from the visual culture of the 1950s show us about the American Dream (or nightmare!).
OPTION FOUR: Visual Culture and Family Life
In Visual Culture we use images to understand the past. This has its strengths, but it also has its limitations. We have looked at lots of advertisements from the 1950s which show us aspirational/prescriptive depictions of family life. Use specific examples from the course to question the accuracy of these images.
Some Like It Hot! |
Some Like to Study! |
We will watch this film on Wednesday.
Famous, and sadly missed, film critic Roger Ebert said of this film, that is “about nothing but sex and yet pretends it's about crime and greed.” Do you think this is true? Ebert also claims that, “no other actor, male or female, has more sexual chemistry with the camera than Monroe.” Do you agree? It is set in the 1930s, but this film is a product of the 1950s. How do you see fifties cultural values and norms reflected? Check out some other colour photos from the filming of Some Like It Hot here. |
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Study Hard (and make a study sheet)
Study sheet: will be handed in with the test and must be all your own work. Anything else results in a zero, so keep your work to yourself!
Format: Handwritten, both sides of one sheet of 8.5x11 paper.
Format: Handwritten, both sides of one sheet of 8.5x11 paper.
Need one more chance to do a 3% assignment? Due: Dec. 7th
Go to Find Articles on the JAC Library Page
Search in Academic Search Complete/EBSCO database for:
"Death on Display: Reifying Stardom through Hollywood's Dark Tourism." by Linda Levitt
Your assignment:
Typed, proofread, organized and with proper MLA citations.
3% Define "dark tourism". How does it shape how a celebrity is understood. Discuss what the article has to say about 1950s stars who are part of this phenomenon. (250-300 words)
OR
6% Do the same thing in greater depth, making sure to discuss the manufactured and fleeting nature of celebrity. (600-700)
Search in Academic Search Complete/EBSCO database for:
"Death on Display: Reifying Stardom through Hollywood's Dark Tourism." by Linda Levitt
Your assignment:
Typed, proofread, organized and with proper MLA citations.
3% Define "dark tourism". How does it shape how a celebrity is understood. Discuss what the article has to say about 1950s stars who are part of this phenomenon. (250-300 words)
OR
6% Do the same thing in greater depth, making sure to discuss the manufactured and fleeting nature of celebrity. (600-700)
Review Questions
Here are 57 questions on the 1950s. Also a video here by Buck 65 with lots of 50s references.
We will publish our projects online
Everyone has received a username and password. Sign in here.
How to find academic articles for your research?
Go to the JAC library website and click on "Find Articles". JSTOR, Ebsco, and Gale are your best bets. These articles will be like the ones we have read for class--more in-depth and reliable that most internet websites. You will be ask to sign in using your student number if you are off campus. There are also ebooks available on the JAC library website.
Upcoming Stuff
October 31st--Trick or Treat at Meredith's office
Nov. 1 Introduction to "Autoeroticism" by Marling
Nov. 3 "The Pill", Suburbia, sign up for Project topics, "Autoeroticism" homework(preparation questions here)
Nov. 8 So White! Race, Ethnicity and the 1950s. Submit written portion of project
Nov. 10 Presentations
Nov. 15 Presentations
Nov, 17 Presentations
Nov. 22 Cinema as a Window to the 1950s
Nov 24. Catch Up and Review
Nov. 29 Movie!
Dec. 1 Final Test
Nov. 1 Introduction to "Autoeroticism" by Marling
Nov. 3 "The Pill", Suburbia, sign up for Project topics, "Autoeroticism" homework(preparation questions here)
Nov. 8 So White! Race, Ethnicity and the 1950s. Submit written portion of project
Nov. 10 Presentations
Nov. 15 Presentations
Nov, 17 Presentations
Nov. 22 Cinema as a Window to the 1950s
Nov 24. Catch Up and Review
Nov. 29 Movie!
Dec. 1 Final Test
Women, Love and Sex Homework
Read "Women, Sex and Love in Eisenhower's America". Here are twenty questions based on the reading. Answer them fully.
OTHER OPTION: You can also pick any five things from the article and tell us a little more about
then them on a simple website of your own creation. (It is easy. I suggest using a free site like Weebly.)
PS There are two pages missing between Simone de Beauvoir and a discussion of a novel called Peyton Place. (It is deliberate to make the reading a little smaller.)
OTHER OPTION: You can also pick any five things from the article and tell us a little more about
then them on a simple website of your own creation. (It is easy. I suggest using a free site like Weebly.)
PS There are two pages missing between Simone de Beauvoir and a discussion of a novel called Peyton Place. (It is deliberate to make the reading a little smaller.)
Get Ready for the Test
Bring two ducments to the test:
--A print out of an ad FOR FOOD from your issue of LIFE that lets you discuss as many ideas from the readings and the course as possible.
--A memory aid, that is ALL YOUR OWN WORK (not group work!!). See below for instructions.
--A print out of an ad FOR FOOD from your issue of LIFE that lets you discuss as many ideas from the readings and the course as possible.
--A memory aid, that is ALL YOUR OWN WORK (not group work!!). See below for instructions.
Memory Aid
A memory aid is not supposed to replace studying. It is a place to put cues to help you recall the material you have studied, formulas, facts, dates and names which you might not otherwise recall.
Everyone is allowed a study sheet which is one side of an 8.5x11 sheet of paper. It must be ALL YOUR OWN WORK, with no collaboration. You might want into include useful quotations, authors' or artists' names, small pictures, or anything else we have covered in the course.
The memory aid will be collected with the test.
Everyone is allowed a study sheet which is one side of an 8.5x11 sheet of paper. It must be ALL YOUR OWN WORK, with no collaboration. You might want into include useful quotations, authors' or artists' names, small pictures, or anything else we have covered in the course.
The memory aid will be collected with the test.
Check Study Questions for your test!
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts 380 Sherbrooke Street West
We had a great time! See us here.
Museum is free. You can get there on public transit.
Here is the assignment. Your paper is due within a week of your visit. Last day to visit is Halloween. Last day to submit paper is Nov. 1st
HOW TO GET THERE? It takes about 1 hr and 15 minutes to get there.
-Take the 405, 411 or 211 from John Abbott to Lionel-Groulx (it is the end of the route).
-Get on the metro and take the GREEN LINE to Guy-Concordia Metro (2 stops).
-Exit the metro and walk one block North (it is slightly uphill) to Sherbrooke St.
-Turn right on Sherbrooke and walk east about 2 blocks.
Museum is free. You can get there on public transit.
Here is the assignment. Your paper is due within a week of your visit. Last day to visit is Halloween. Last day to submit paper is Nov. 1st
HOW TO GET THERE? It takes about 1 hr and 15 minutes to get there.
-Take the 405, 411 or 211 from John Abbott to Lionel-Groulx (it is the end of the route).
-Get on the metro and take the GREEN LINE to Guy-Concordia Metro (2 stops).
-Exit the metro and walk one block North (it is slightly uphill) to Sherbrooke St.
-Turn right on Sherbrooke and walk east about 2 blocks.
Some Things to Study
Readings:
"Body Ritual Among the Nacerima" by Horace Miner
"The Luckiest Generation” by Thomas Hines
“Entering the Fifties”, and “Generation in a Spotlight” by Ronald Oakley
“Rock Hudson’s Body." By Richard Meyer
“Chapter Thirty-Four” and “Chapter Thirty-One” (James Dean and Television Families) by David Halberstam
"The Naturalized Gender Order of Rock and Roll" Chris Martin
"Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book" Karal Ann Marling
Slide shows in class:
Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Star Gazing, Art and Design in the 1950s
Videos and Films:
Advertising and the End of the World, The History of Rock and Roll, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, A Date with Your Family, Duck and Cover, Rebel without a Cause
Topics Covered:
What is Visual Culture?
How does advertising work? Terms like: Descriptive, Prescriptive, Aspirational, Didactic.
Historic and economic factors that shaped the 1950s—"Luckiest Generation" and "Entering the Fifties"
Celebrity in the 1950s. Rock Hudson, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Elvis Presley (and others covered in Star-Gazing Assignment)
Gender roles. Teenagers. Family Life (also as portrayed on TV).
Advertising in LIFE magazine.
The birth of Rock and Roll in relation to race and gender
The aesthetics of food and advertising.
MLA citation style
"Body Ritual Among the Nacerima" by Horace Miner
"The Luckiest Generation” by Thomas Hines
“Entering the Fifties”, and “Generation in a Spotlight” by Ronald Oakley
“Rock Hudson’s Body." By Richard Meyer
“Chapter Thirty-Four” and “Chapter Thirty-One” (James Dean and Television Families) by David Halberstam
"The Naturalized Gender Order of Rock and Roll" Chris Martin
"Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book" Karal Ann Marling
Slide shows in class:
Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Star Gazing, Art and Design in the 1950s
Videos and Films:
Advertising and the End of the World, The History of Rock and Roll, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, A Date with Your Family, Duck and Cover, Rebel without a Cause
Topics Covered:
What is Visual Culture?
How does advertising work? Terms like: Descriptive, Prescriptive, Aspirational, Didactic.
Historic and economic factors that shaped the 1950s—"Luckiest Generation" and "Entering the Fifties"
Celebrity in the 1950s. Rock Hudson, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Elvis Presley (and others covered in Star-Gazing Assignment)
Gender roles. Teenagers. Family Life (also as portrayed on TV).
Advertising in LIFE magazine.
The birth of Rock and Roll in relation to race and gender
The aesthetics of food and advertising.
MLA citation style
Quiz on Betty Crocker Article!
Heads up! There will be a quiz on the reading that is due for tomorrow! You can use your own hand-written notes on a separate sheet of paper if you like.
What's Next?
October 4 Life Essay due, Art and Design, and Review for the test
October 6 Cinema as a Window to the 1950s
Movie is 1 hour 51 minutes so we will start a minute or two early. Volunteers needed to help with movie time snacks! RSVP
Note: Read Chapter 31 on Elvis and James Dean (page 130 in our reading package) before the test.
October 11 Read Betty Crocker article
October 13 Museum (we will not meet in our classroom) Here is the assignment.
October 18 Midterm Test
October 6 Cinema as a Window to the 1950s
Movie is 1 hour 51 minutes so we will start a minute or two early. Volunteers needed to help with movie time snacks! RSVP
Note: Read Chapter 31 on Elvis and James Dean (page 130 in our reading package) before the test.
October 11 Read Betty Crocker article
October 13 Museum (we will not meet in our classroom) Here is the assignment.
October 18 Midterm Test
How to Copy Pictures from LIFE
Here is how to do it in Windows. Here is how to do it on a Mac. Google for more instructions and advice.
Hints for your LIFE essay!
Original research from primary sources! Welcome to the big leagues of scholarship.
Check all the instructions here.
Every issue of LIFE Magazine from the 1950s is available online.
Quantitative information (statistics chart) and tentative thesis due: Sept. 22nd in class
Draft essay due: Sept. 29th
Final Essay due: October 4th
Check all the instructions here.
Every issue of LIFE Magazine from the 1950s is available online.
Quantitative information (statistics chart) and tentative thesis due: Sept. 22nd in class
Draft essay due: Sept. 29th
Final Essay due: October 4th
For Friday Sept. 29th
Bring a draft of your essay. At minimum, bring an introductory paragraph and an outline.
P.S. If you didn't do the homework for September 27th remember that you are responsible for all the material in the course, even on days the homework isn't collected. Read the article if you haven't already.
Need another challenge? Find the thesis and the three main ideas Christopher Martin says he will explore.
P.S. If you didn't do the homework for September 27th remember that you are responsible for all the material in the course, even on days the homework isn't collected. Read the article if you haven't already.
Need another challenge? Find the thesis and the three main ideas Christopher Martin says he will explore.
Rock and Roll Homework Sept. 27th
Do this reading on Rock 'n' Roll. You can download it here.
1. How did the mass media in the 1950s describe Elvis's young female fans? Does Martin agree?
2. Why was high school especially important for girls?
3. How was buying Rock and Roll records different from other purchases that girls made?
4. In the 1930s what was seen as contributing to girls' "sexual delinquency"?
5. What about the 1940s?
6. Explain Frank Swoonatra
7. Why was Elvis so alarming?
8. How did Elvis disrupt sexist ideas about gender relations and women's roles?
9. What did girls wear to Elvis concerts?
10. How was the "gender order" disrupted by Elvis fandom repaired?
11. Explain Pat Boone.
12. In what way did "girl groups" disrupt the established order? How was their effect neutralized?
1. How did the mass media in the 1950s describe Elvis's young female fans? Does Martin agree?
2. Why was high school especially important for girls?
3. How was buying Rock and Roll records different from other purchases that girls made?
4. In the 1930s what was seen as contributing to girls' "sexual delinquency"?
5. What about the 1940s?
6. Explain Frank Swoonatra
7. Why was Elvis so alarming?
8. How did Elvis disrupt sexist ideas about gender relations and women's roles?
9. What did girls wear to Elvis concerts?
10. How was the "gender order" disrupted by Elvis fandom repaired?
11. Explain Pat Boone.
12. In what way did "girl groups" disrupt the established order? How was their effect neutralized?
Homework for Sept. 22
The next reading is called "Generation in the Spotlight."
Your job:
1. Read the article carefully.
2. Write a diary entry, using at least 8 examples, to show you understand the article and teen life in the 1950s.
P.S. To answer Thomas' famous question: Yes. You can be funny or creative as long as you show your mastery of the article.
Your job:
1. Read the article carefully.
2. Write a diary entry, using at least 8 examples, to show you understand the article and teen life in the 1950s.
P.S. To answer Thomas' famous question: Yes. You can be funny or creative as long as you show your mastery of the article.
Star-Gazing Presentations
Here is how it will go.
1. Post a link to your picture on the LÉA forum right now!
2. Test your link to make sure it takes you to the right picture.
3. In class we will project the picture(s) on the board.
4. Everyone *except* the presenter discusses the picture(s).
5. Then the presenter gets a chance to set the rest of us straight! :)
This should take about 3 minutes per celebrity.
1. Post a link to your picture on the LÉA forum right now!
2. Test your link to make sure it takes you to the right picture.
3. In class we will project the picture(s) on the board.
4. Everyone *except* the presenter discusses the picture(s).
5. Then the presenter gets a chance to set the rest of us straight! :)
This should take about 3 minutes per celebrity.
Homework for Sept. 15 here.
Star-Gazing Q&A
Q. Do I need to print out and hand in all 10+ images I look at?
A. No, You just need to look at least 10 images. You only need to print the one(s) you choose to post.
Q. Does it need to be in MLA essay format?
A. It is too short to be an essay, but you do need to cite your sources.
Q. How do I cite my sources in the text when many websites don't have an author?
A. You put the title of the page (the first thing in your bibliographic entry) in the brackets in the text.
A. No, You just need to look at least 10 images. You only need to print the one(s) you choose to post.
Q. Does it need to be in MLA essay format?
A. It is too short to be an essay, but you do need to cite your sources.
Q. How do I cite my sources in the text when many websites don't have an author?
A. You put the title of the page (the first thing in your bibliographic entry) in the brackets in the text.
Star-Gazing 5%
Research pictures of one famous person from the 1950s. Sign up for your person on the the LEA Class Forum on Omnivox. First come, first served. One student per topic.
You will get a chance to tell us a bit about your star and why you chose a particular picture as being emblematic of how (s)he was understood in the 1950s. Hand in your introduction and a list of at least three properly cited sources to show where you got your information. Full instructions here.
Written portion (300-500 words) due, printed out, at the beginning of class Sept, 13th. Informal presentations start Sept. 15th
You will get a chance to tell us a bit about your star and why you chose a particular picture as being emblematic of how (s)he was understood in the 1950s. Hand in your introduction and a list of at least three properly cited sources to show where you got your information. Full instructions here.
Written portion (300-500 words) due, printed out, at the beginning of class Sept, 13th. Informal presentations start Sept. 15th
How to Cite a Photo Found Online
Cite online images like you cite websites. If the work is cited on the web only, then provide the name of the artist, the title of the work, and then follow the citation format for a website.
EXAMPLE: Adams, Clifton R. “People relax beside a swimming pool at a country estate near Phoenix, Arizona, 1928.” Found, National Geographic Creative, 2 June 2016, natgeofound.tumblr.com/.
If your image is housed in a museum, add that info (as highlighted below).
Avedon, Richard. "'Marilyn Monroe, Actress, New York." 1957. MOMA, New York. MOMALearning, www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/richard-avedon-marilyn-monroe-actress-new-york-may-6-1957.
Q. What if there is no title? Create a brief description (as highlighted below).
Vasquez, Gary A. Photograph of Coach K with Team USA. NBC Olympics, USA Today Sports, 5 Aug. 2016, www.nbcolympics.com/news/rio-olympics-coach-ks-toughest-test-or-lasting-legacy.
Q. No author/photographer?
Just start with the title or description.
EXAMPLE: Adams, Clifton R. “People relax beside a swimming pool at a country estate near Phoenix, Arizona, 1928.” Found, National Geographic Creative, 2 June 2016, natgeofound.tumblr.com/.
If your image is housed in a museum, add that info (as highlighted below).
Avedon, Richard. "'Marilyn Monroe, Actress, New York." 1957. MOMA, New York. MOMALearning, www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/richard-avedon-marilyn-monroe-actress-new-york-may-6-1957.
Q. What if there is no title? Create a brief description (as highlighted below).
Vasquez, Gary A. Photograph of Coach K with Team USA. NBC Olympics, USA Today Sports, 5 Aug. 2016, www.nbcolympics.com/news/rio-olympics-coach-ks-toughest-test-or-lasting-legacy.
Q. No author/photographer?
Just start with the title or description.
Visual Chapter Summary 5%
Create a one-page visual summary of the important facts and ideas in the article "Entering the Fifties." See examples on our Fun Stuff page.
Projects are graded on how well you demonstrate your ability to read and understand the material in the article, to choose the most important ideas and examples, and to present them in a clear, organized, creative and attractive way,
Due Sept. 8th.
Projects are graded on how well you demonstrate your ability to read and understand the material in the article, to choose the most important ideas and examples, and to present them in a clear, organized, creative and attractive way,
Due Sept. 8th.
Homework 3 Friday, Sept. 1
Read "Rock Hudson's Body". Take notes on a separate sheet of paper. You can use your (all your own work!) notes for a quiz in class.
Hint: Focus most of your energy on pages 341-352.
Hint: Focus most of your energy on pages 341-352.
Not sure what to include in your notes? Here are some study questions to point you at important ideas to get you started.
1. Hollywood began emphasizing the "spectacular size of its image" in the 1950s. Why?
2. Name two ways in which Rock Hudson's physical presence as a large man was enhanced in photographs.
3. How was Rock Hudson was different from other male stars of his day in photographs?
4. What does Richard Meyer see as the effect of the many images of Hudson with water?
5. Explain what story was told photographically about the star's marriage. What effect did these pictures have?
1. Hollywood began emphasizing the "spectacular size of its image" in the 1950s. Why?
2. Name two ways in which Rock Hudson's physical presence as a large man was enhanced in photographs.
3. How was Rock Hudson was different from other male stars of his day in photographs?
4. What does Richard Meyer see as the effect of the many images of Hudson with water?
5. Explain what story was told photographically about the star's marriage. What effect did these pictures have?
Homework 2 Wednesday, Aug. 30th
Answer the questions handed out in class on Thomas Hine's article, "The Luckiest Generation." (3rd article in the course pack.) Due at the beginning of class.
"VIntage Patterns--LeRoy." Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/23292123046237754/.
"VIntage Patterns--LeRoy." Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/23292123046237754/.
Homework 1 Monday, Aug. 28th
Find elements of the Visual Culture of the world you were born into. Search the internet for images (book, magazine, album, or DVD covers, posters, advertisements, photographs, fashion shoots, etc.) that were created the year you were born.
Look at these images as if you were an anthropologist. What do they show about the culture and values in your birth year? Write 50-100 words about what you observe and submit this and the link to one image (use LÉA). Due before midnight on Monday.
"New Years Eve 2000." Time Magazine Covers. Time Inc., 2016, http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20000101,00.html.
Look at these images as if you were an anthropologist. What do they show about the culture and values in your birth year? Write 50-100 words about what you observe and submit this and the link to one image (use LÉA). Due before midnight on Monday.
"New Years Eve 2000." Time Magazine Covers. Time Inc., 2016, http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20000101,00.html.
Nacerima article
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VIsual Culture of the 1950s available at the Bookstore $19.40.