Just some food for thought!
Nina
Sunday, 29 September 2013
Happiness
We touched very briefly on the happiness levels of whole countries as we discussed the concept of self esteem and how it links to happiness. I though you might be interested in the following clip. What makes society as a whole happy? Do you think we have problems overall in this country with happiness and how does this link to concepts of identity and the self?
Resources for talking about culture!
Please find attached some of the resources we have used in our discussions about popular and high culture You can refer back to these when asked to write an essay or do some work on this topic.
And finally - here is the essay question. You can always have another go at it as you get more confident with your subject knowledge and essay writing skills!
This should all help you - but remember IT IS UP TO YOU to engage with the concepts and to provide relevant examples! Making notes during and after the class, drawing on any discussions we have had, will help you to build up a bank of resources and examples to support your writing.
Happy thinking!
Nina
Monday, 23 September 2013
Identity and the Self
Good Morning!
The aim of today's lesson is for you to start to engage with the concept of identity. You will be asked to think about what identity means to you and what you think your identity is. You will need to take notes which you will be able to use in class next lesson, when we will discuss these initial thoughts in a lot more detail.
- Remind yourself of the the two different views of identity that we considered at the beginning of the course. Summarise the different viewpoints. Which one do you agree with?
- Identity Quotations
- Now I want you to think about who you are. Write the question 'Who am I' and answer it at least twenty times, starting each sentence with I am... eg I am a teacher, I am a mother, I am hardworking.
- Then highlight those that are social roles (the parts we play)in one colour and those that are personality traits (what we think we are like) in another.
Self concept is the idea we have of ourselves as individuals. Our self image is the image we have of the various aspects of ourselves: our intellectual self, our body self (the image we have of our bodies) and our emotional self.
We often have an image of an ideal self and this is one that we like to try and project.
- Watch the 30 second clip from a Holiday Inn advert. Write down the differences between the man's actual self and his ideal self. Think about his intellectual, emotional and bodily self.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9PYIwPSaj4&feature=c4-overview&list=UUXfH9xxPB2kpHibmcFGyaAA
- What do you think is the ideal male and / or female according to the media?
- Try to make notes on your ideal self
In expressing our ideals, we often project these on to other people, often public people. These people then become role models.
- Have a look through the pictures below. Who do you think is a positive or negative role model? What makes a positive or negative role model? Who are the role models in your life? To what extent do they represent your ideal self? The articles below might help.
- https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=good+role+models&sa=X&rlz=1C1FGGD_enGB501GB502&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=taFAUuLhBsSRhQeXuoGYBQ&ved=0CEYQsAQ&biw=1256&bih=654&dpr=1
Happy thinking!
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Definitions of culture
Hello Culture People!
There are a few things to do today to start bringing together your ideas on high culture, popular culture and definitions of culture in general. Culture is a tricky word to define.
1. Follow the link below and listen to some of the definitions people give. They were all interviewed for The Culture Show, a programme that explores different facets of arts and culture in the 21st Century. It is a great programme to watch and, in itself, attempts to break down some of the barriers between high and popular culture.
www.bbc.co.uk/cultureshow/cultureis
2. Now post a comment on your own blog about what you think culture is.
3. Follow the links below and read the articles. What attitudes are expressed about high and popular cultural forms in the two articles? Post a comment!
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/sep/02/classicalmusicandopera
http://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2008/sep/03/laurabarton
4. Don't forget to post an overview of the past few lessons on your own blog. Some good ones already - you are showing real engagement with the subject.
Well done!
There are a few things to do today to start bringing together your ideas on high culture, popular culture and definitions of culture in general. Culture is a tricky word to define.
1. Follow the link below and listen to some of the definitions people give. They were all interviewed for The Culture Show, a programme that explores different facets of arts and culture in the 21st Century. It is a great programme to watch and, in itself, attempts to break down some of the barriers between high and popular culture.
www.bbc.co.uk/cultureshow/cultureis
2. Now post a comment on your own blog about what you think culture is.
3. Follow the links below and read the articles. What attitudes are expressed about high and popular cultural forms in the two articles? Post a comment!
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/sep/02/classicalmusicandopera
http://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2008/sep/03/laurabarton
4. Don't forget to post an overview of the past few lessons on your own blog. Some good ones already - you are showing real engagement with the subject.
Well done!
Monday, 9 September 2013
High Culture
Good Morning!
We have been discussing Matthew Arnold's ( a C19th critic and writer) notion of culture as "the best that is thought and said in the world". In a series of essays entitled 'Culture and Anarchy', Arnold explores the civilising effect of culture on people. He believed that by educating people to have a taste for high culture, then anarchy would be prevented. An appreciation of the arts in particular could prevent social disorder, immorality, violence, selfishness and disobedience.
Find examples of different genres of culture that Arnold would class as high culture eg ballet, opera, classical music, theatre, literature. Which artists, musicians and writers would you consider to be high culture? Create a collage of works of art, snippets from texts, pictures of famous artists and writers on Powerpoint or Word that you can share with the class. Research the idea of a 'western canon' to help you.
Create a list of points in your notes supporting the study of high culture, explaining why it has value (start by referring back to Arnold).
Finally, post a comment on this blog giving me your opinion of high culture. What are you familiar with? Is there a particular genre of high culture you enjoy? Does it make you a better person? What are the connotations of the different genres of high culture? What are the problems of suggesting a canon of high culture?
We have been discussing Matthew Arnold's ( a C19th critic and writer) notion of culture as "the best that is thought and said in the world". In a series of essays entitled 'Culture and Anarchy', Arnold explores the civilising effect of culture on people. He believed that by educating people to have a taste for high culture, then anarchy would be prevented. An appreciation of the arts in particular could prevent social disorder, immorality, violence, selfishness and disobedience.
Find examples of different genres of culture that Arnold would class as high culture eg ballet, opera, classical music, theatre, literature. Which artists, musicians and writers would you consider to be high culture? Create a collage of works of art, snippets from texts, pictures of famous artists and writers on Powerpoint or Word that you can share with the class. Research the idea of a 'western canon' to help you.
Create a list of points in your notes supporting the study of high culture, explaining why it has value (start by referring back to Arnold).
Finally, post a comment on this blog giving me your opinion of high culture. What are you familiar with? Is there a particular genre of high culture you enjoy? Does it make you a better person? What are the connotations of the different genres of high culture? What are the problems of suggesting a canon of high culture?
Thursday, 5 September 2013
Starting to think about 'culture'
Hello Comms Students.
Have a read of the following articles and post a comment to me telling me what you think about them.
The first is about the impact of short hair on women and I would like you to think about what the length of our hair suggests about our identity. Are there cultural and gender 'norms' associated with hair styles and length? Expectations? What possible meanings do we read into shorter hair? Why do you think Emma Watson cut her hair short? What does the article suggest?
We are going to be doing a lot thinking and discussing on the concepts of culture and cultural practices. Read the article below which discusses the changing attitudes to culture and cultural practices. It might be a little tricky, but have a go and let me know what you think. What does the writer think of as art? What do you think of as art? What cultural practices does the writer comment on? Can you think of any cultural practices that have changed over the years? What point is the writer making about 'great art'?
Once you have set up your own Communication and Culture blogs, ensure you have emailed or given me your address. Then you need to post a blog explaining what you have discussed and learnt over the past week. Refer to as much terminology as you can. I expect you to update your learning blogs each week and will have a read through them. This will be a really good way to organise your thoughts and ideas on the subjects we cover, as well as keeping a record of all the fantastic new terminology you will be learning! Feel free to add any interesting articles you find while surfing the web!
Sunday, 1 September 2013
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Have a look at this article from the BBC. We will be exploring Maslow's concept in a few weeks so it might a good idea to be familiar with it! It is quite a clear explanation so have a go!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23902918
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23902918
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