PWR 2RE: The Rhetoric of Good Taste

Trash TV. Beach reads. AI slop. Guilty pleasures. Why do we consume media–film, books, art, tv–when part of us feels like it's poorly produced? Bad? Mid? Leading to brain rot, even? In this writing and oral presentation course, we’ll investigate the past, present, and future of good (and bad) taste–does it even exist, and if so, who are its arbiters? How does taste reflect questions of race, class, and gender? What is the relation between technology, media, medium, and taste? 

Through a quarter-long research project on a specific cultural object or phenomenon, students in this course will explore questions of culture and taste–what makes it good, what makes it bad, what makes it mid, and who decides. We’ll read texts in literary, visual, film, and media studies, as well as works of culture criticism on fads, trends, and subcultures, in order to produce our own written and spoken criticism.

Examples of Research Topics

For this course, you will engage in a quarter-long in-depth research project culminating in a research paper and oral presentation on one cultural object or phenomenon. Some example topics include:

• Parasite and the US reception of foreign films
• genre vs literary fiction on Booktok
• K-Pop, stan culture, and algorithms of collective taste
• SF Jazz and the institutionalization of jazz into high culture
• Spotify and algorithms of personal taste
• an exhibit at the Cantor Arts Center 

PWR 2 Assignment Sequence

Research Proposal

(900-1200 words; 3-4 pages; 3-4 minute live oral presentation) In this assignment, students write a proposal for a research project on their chosen cultural object/case study, situating it within both scholarly and public debates. 

Written Research-Based Argument

(3000-3600 words; 10-12 pages) Drawing on existing scholarship and criticism, students will write an original, well-researched argument about their cultural object/case study. This assignment builds on the learning goals of PWR1–like strategically organizing and integrating sources–while also emphasizing cultural interpretation and analysis. 

Delivery of Research

(10 minute live oral presentation with appropriate multimedia support) With the oral presentation, students deliver their research as well as represent their own audio/visual aesthetic sensibilities.