20th Century
Pop Culture
Welcome to Mr. Black's 20th Century Pop Culture Class!
This class rocks...
This course is an exploration of the 20th century through the lens of American popular culture. Each decade has been given a theme, and within those themes, we will look at the things that shaped our popular culture. By looking at commerce, film and theater, food and drink, music, print media, sports and games, fashion, television and radio, and "the way we live," we will learn why American Pop Culture has become our nation's greatest export. Here is a breakdown of the decades and the themes for each. Click on the pictures below to see the wide variety of things we'll attempt to explore this year.
1900s:
The Birth of the American Century
1910s:
A Tumultuous Decade
1920s:
The Roaring Twenties
1930s:
The Great Depression Disrupts America
1940s:
The Pivotal Decade
1950s:
A Decade of Conformity
1960s:
An Era of Activism
1970s:
The "Me" Decade
1980s:
Prosperity and Conservatism
1990s:
The Decade America Went Digital
2000s:
A Decade in Need of a Reality Check?
Handouts/Assignments:
Resources:
Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America
Art of Democracy: A Concise History of Popular Culture in the United States
Culture Studies and the Study of Popular Culture
