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Pop Culture in the Classroom: American Idol , Karl Marx, and Alexis de Tocqueville

2010; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 43; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1017/s1049096510000818

1537-5935

Miguel Centellas,

Political Theory and Influence

Abstract This article discusses the use of pop culture in the classroom as a means to teach foundational political science authors and concepts. I focus on my experience using American Idol as a point of reference to discuss Marx and Engel's The Communist Manifesto and Tocqueville's Democracy in America in undergraduate comparative politics courses. Students are asked to construct a written argument projecting Marx or Tocqueville's perceptions of American Idol , based on their readings. My experiences demonstrate that asking students to reflect on their own contemporary experience through the prism of these two works helps them in three ways: (1) to better understand the ideas of Marx and Tocqueville, as well as their differences; (2) to develop an appreciation for the continued relevance of works in the discipline's canon; and (3) to sharpen and develop critical thinking and analytical skills.