FEATURED
SPEAKERS EXAMINE CULT POP CULTURE; THE IDEA IN POP CULTURE ANALYSIS
MidwestPopular Culture/American Culture Association Brings Hundreds of Scholars and Enthusiasts
to Milwaukee
(Milwaukee) October 14, 2011 – Popular culture enthusiasts
from across the Midwest and the nation will gather in Milwaukee October 14-16,
2011, at the 2011 joint Midwest Popular Culture/Midwest American Culture
Association Annual Conference at the Milwaukee Hilton City Center. Some 120
panels will examine topics across the popular culture universe, from Mad Men and Harry Potter to Twilight and
Facebook.
Two featured speakers address the conference on Friday,
October 14, from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m.
-- Bob Batchelor, an assistant professor in the School ofJournalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University, talks about “Cult
Pop Culture: How the Fringe Became Mainstream” in Wright Ballroom A.
-- John Jordan, associate professor in the Department ofCommunication at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, discusses “The Idea,
and Its Importance in Analyzing Popular Culture” in Wright Ballroom C.
Batchelor’s presentation focuses on the 3-volume edited
anthology Cult Pop Culture: How theFringe Became Mainstream (Preager), published later this year. The
anthology is the first dedicated to the quirky, offbeat aspects of American
popular culture that people have loved, enjoyed, (and in some cases) worshiped
over the last 50 years. By examining the (often seedy) people and subjects we
hold most dear, this collection offers deep insights into what Americans think,
feel, and cherish.
Jordan’s talk reveals his interest in those moments when
ideas and material circumstances come together in a way that requires
communities to make sense of the situation. These are the moments when someone
has to interpret, or declare, or reach out – moments of meaningful and material
communication. Jordan’s work seeks an understanding of how such situations are
arrived at, how their meaning is contested and understood, and what
implications arise for how we see ourselves in modern society.
About
the Midwest Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association
The Midwest Popular Culture Association/American Culture
Association (MPCA/ACA) is a regional branch of the Popular Culture Association/American
Culture Association. The organization held its first conference in Duluth,
Minnesota, in 1973. After a hiatus during the 1990s, the organization held a
comeback conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 2002. MPCA/ACA usually holds
its annual conference in a large Midwestern city. Anyone is welcome to join and
submit proposals for consideration at the MPCA/ACA conference. Membership in
MPCA/ACA is by no means limited to those working or living in the Midwest or
even the United States. In fact, presenters have come from as far away as
Florida and California, and Norway and Australia. Visit http://www.mpcaaca.org
for more information about the organization and how to join. Also, follow #MidwestPCA
for updates and conversation streaming live from the conference.
About
Bob Batchelor
Bob Batchelor (Ph.D., University of South Florida) is an
assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent
State University and academic coordinator of its online M.A. program in public
relations. Batchelor is the author or editor of 10 books, including: The 1900s; The 1980s; The 2000s; and
American Pop: Popular Culture Decade by
Decade. He has published in Radical
History Review, The Journal of
American Culture, The Mailer Review,
The American Prospect Online, and Public Relations Review. He is a member
of the editorial advisory board of The
Journal of Popular Culture and Pop Culture Universe: Icons, Idols, Ideas
(ABC-CLIO). Batchelor’s current research includes books on John Updike, Bob
Dylan, and the rubber industry in World War II. He is also editing two
anthologies with KSU colleague Danielle Coombs: We Are What We Sell: How Advertising Shapes American Life…And Always
Has and American History through
American Sports. He can be reached at rpbatche@kent.edu.
About
John Jordan
John W. Jordan (Ph.D., University of Georgia) is an
associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of
Wisconsin—Milwaukee. He studies pressing issues in contemporary society using critical
rhetorical analysis. Jordan’s research program centers typically on how
technology interacts with public sensibilities, and how subaltern groups use
rhetoric to engage authoritative control. His scholarly goal is to help others
appreciate the wider possibilities of their involvement in society. Jordan’s
recent scholarship has appeared in Quarterly
Journal of Speech, Critical Studies
in Media Communication, Communication
and Critical/Cultural Studies, and Flow.
He can be contacted at jjdordan@uwm.edu.
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