Coming Down to Earth

In American Studies this year we are exploring something known as the "collaborative lecture" (or as Mr. O'Connor refers to it, the "collecture ©"). It is essentially just like it sounds, a lecture that the community adds to and improves. In my opinion, this is a fantastic idea. As it not only lets the student get information and point of views from their peers, but it also minimizes the amount of outside research that each student has to do! It also brings the teacher onto the same level as the student. This got me thinking as to whether this concept to be applied to other areas.

The first example I thought of, of course, was the music industry. It always seems as if the artists are on another level than the fans. However, thanks to the internet and social networking, this is changing.

The Media and Their "Secret Messages"

A major theme throughout AIS this week has been the concept of "secret messages". These messages aren't directly stated in writing, instead it is word choice. The fact that a story leaves some words out, or decides to put words in can say a lot about the views of the author.

Is This Reality?

Throughout this week in AIS, we have talked about where we get our news from, and if those sources have any biases. This brought up the burning question, "What is real?" If news sources each have their own biases and ways of telling the story, then is there really any way of knowing the true story?

The World in a Different Light

Within the past ten years, the combination of television and internet have made information - whether good or bad - more accessible to just about everybody. However, there could be a side effect to this media frenzy. In American Studies, we have been looking at artifacts from a "deceased" Mr. Bolos. While looking at the many interesting objects that con-
tributed to what made Mr. Bolos who he is today, there is a question that came up many times. "How will I be remembered?" This question cannot simply be answered in one word, or even two. One must explore legacies in pop culture that have been left, and more specifically, how media has shaped them. [image]