BACKGROUND: There are many agents of popular culture though which the messages, themes and symbols of
popular culture are produced and consumed. Media is a key agent of popular culture, and within it music is
one mode for the production and consumption of popular culture. The music of the 1960s marked a key period
of transition in the United States as themes of social problems and dissidence started to fill the radio waves.
Option 1 Instructions:
1) Choose one social issue or social problem (i.e. drugs, the environment, war, teenage pregnancy, hate crimes,
etc.).
2) Find at least 5 songs with lyrics that address your chosen social issue/problem. Y
3) Analyze the songs for similarities and differences in how they address the social issue/problem.
