Teen Culture Research Paper

"Among other things, you'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You're by no means alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You'll learn from them--if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It's a beautiful, reciprocal arrangement. And it isn't education. It's history. It's poetry." J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Chapter 24.

Since the birth of the “teenager,” teenagers have separated themselves from adults through their music, entertainment, fashion, social concerns, trends, art, and media. Your job is to research a specific aspect of teen culture from a specific decade and discuss how it is a reflection of or response to larger issues or ideology of the time. In addition, you need to research and explain how this aspect of teen culture reflects the ideas of literary Modernism. Your paper should include background information on your topic and the decade, an analysis of how your topic reflects the larger philosophies and/or social changes of the decade, and discussion of how your topic is a reflection of Modernism.

Elements of Modernism

Inspiration

Choose your decade 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s

Choose your area of interest Music Entertainment Fashion Social Concerns Trends Art Media

Break down your topic into a specific type of music, a specific artist or band, a specific type of movie, a specific television show, a specific fashion, etc. Pick something that reflects your interests. A research paper is easier of you actually like reading about your topic.

Source guidelines

Basic requirements

Research starters

You are expected to use Noodletools and Turnitin.Com. See research information on this website's sidebar for help with a variety of research needs, including writing thesis statements, writing introductions, and properly citing sources.

PERIODS: 3 and 5

TURNITIN COPY DUE: Monday, March 17 by 11:59 p.m. Papers submitted after 11:59 p.m. will be considered late and docked accordingly. If you are having trouble submitting your paper, e-mail it to me. There will be no exceptions or excuses for late work.

PAPER COPY DUE: Wednesday, March 19 in class. Papers will be late if they are not in my hands by class time. If you are absent, please make plans to have your paper delivered to me. For each day your paper is late, you will be docked one letter grade. No exceptions!