Instructions

For this assignment, you are going to consume the relevant media texts listed below, and then answer 5 essay questions. 

Relevant Media Texts

1. Dolly Parton's America, episode 3 "Tennessee Mountain Trance"

2. Dolly Parton's America, Episode 4 "Neon Moss"

TRANSCRIPT OF THE EPISODE

3. One Day at a Time, Season 1: Episode 1 "This is it" 

We'll watch this episode in class. The link above goes to the IMDB page for the episode. If you miss class and need to watch it, or if you simply want to watch it again, you can find it at the Netflix Official Site for the show. You'll need a Netflix account to access the show.

4. Fresh Off the Boat, Season 1: Episode 1 "Pilot"

We'll watch this episode in class. The link above goes to the IMDB page for the episode. If you miss class and need to watch it, or if you simply want to watch it again, you can find it at the Hulu Official Site for the show. You'll need a Hulu account to access the show.

5. One or more media texts of your choosing that tell a story about class and/or home (since we are using the concept of home as a way to explore class identity and class representation).

This/these can be selected from TV shows, songs, films, magazine articles, books and shorts stories, social media, etc. Be prepared to provide links, screen captures or quotes. 

Questions

(You should copy these questions, hit submit, and then paste them in to get started on the answers. Use the buttons at the top of the screen to embed media, links, etc.).

1. Explain the media text(s) you selected and provide links to them or to more information. Why did you select this? What story/stories are told about social class or home in your selection(s)?
2. Using two or more of the relevant media texts, compare the realities of home to how home can be romanticized in popular culture: the two sides of Dolly's mountain.  
3. Apply the concept of habitus as it was introduced in class to one of these media texts. How does the text illustrate the idea that home you come from can continue to shape your outlook on the world, even long after you leave it behind (if you actually do)?
4. Describe your own home--the house(s) you grew up in, your neighborhoods or hometowns, the values of your communities--and how it shapes your own outlook on life. Do you see this changing in college? What do you want to hold on to from your upbringing. 
5. Choose one of the concepts from the unit on class not covered in the above questions and use one or more of the relevant media texts to illustrate it. Explain why the illustration works. Imagine you are teaching the concept to someone younger and make sure you really explain on clear terms. 

Extra credit alternate question: Using one of the relevant media texts from above, examine the ways that homes are represented. How are they decorated? For TV shows, you may want to pause and take a look at the details in the background. Why did they select these items to represent home. How would you evaluate the representation?