The role of popular culture in shaping American values will be the theme of a national campus seminar that will be presented via satellite technology at Laredo Community College on Tuesday, September 28.
Sponsored by the LCC Phi Theta Kappa chapter and the LCC Honors program, the satellite seminar will be shown on Sept. 28 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the de la Garza Building, room 101. Admission is free to students and the public.
Prior to the seminar, the Phi Theta Kappa chapter will hold a meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the de la Garza Building, room 101; all PTK members are encouraged to attend.
The satellite lecture is the first of a five part series developed by the national Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two-Year College.
The presentation, “(Mis)understanding History: Shaping Modern Myth and Popular Values,” will be delivered via satellite technology by Dr. Robert McElvaine. He is the Elizabeth Chisholm Professor of Arts and Letters and Chair of the Department of History at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, where he has taught for more than 25 years. He is the editor of three books and the author of six, including Eve's Seed: Biology, the Sexes, and the Course of History, named one of the "Best Books of 2001" by the Los Angeles Times Book Review.
Dr. McElvaine will begin his exploration of the impact of 20th century popular culture on mass (mis)understanding of history with an examination of the extraordinary influence of two films, D.W Griffith's Birth of a Nation (1915) and Oliver Stone's JFK (1991).
“These movies were cinematic masterpieces that persuasively presented extremely misleading versions of history,” notes McElvaine.
Utilizing additional examples from film, music, and television over the past half century, Dr. McElvaine will consider the role of popular culture in shaping American values. He argues that the "culture war" that has raged since the 1960s is a phony war in which the forces of popular culture, so often vilified for undermining traditional values, have in fact been working in concert with American business to maximize consumption.
Other speakers in the Popular Culture series include
· Dr. Tricia Rose, speaking about “Creating and Marketing Youth: Youth Music and Culture in 20th Century America,” on October 12;
· Dr. Susan Bordo, addressing the “The Empire of Images: Growing Up Male and Female in a World Dominated by Popular Culture,” on October 26;
· Stephanie Coontz, speaking on “Courting Disaster? Changing Values about Love, Sex and Marriage” on November 9; and
· Dr. Richard Lapchick, speaking about “Sports in Popular Culture: Are We Winning or Losing?” on November 16.
For more information about the Satellite Seminar, contact PTK Sponsors/Honors Program Coordinators Jose Compean at 721-5304 or Dr. Jacinto Juarez at 721-5832.
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