an essay about Internet memes

Overview

Feature Essay Assignment

For this essay assignment, you will craft, compose, research, and write a feature essay about a
current pop culture trend in American culture/society. Think about what’s “trending” right now
and what are some major issues that keep popping up in the news or in social media. Now think
about what this trend/idea/thing says about the world we live in today.

Feature Essays typically show up in newspapers and magazines, often in sections of the paper on
culture (such as The Washington Post’s “Style” section or The Atlantic “Culture” section.) Other
examples of places where feature articles might show up are in popular, yet credible magazines
like Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Slate, or even Rolling Stone. A key aspect of a feature
article is that it illuminates a topic that is either not understood or misunderstood. What are most
people missing about the importance of an issue? Your job as the writer, therefore, is to use your
research and writing skills to educate a general audience about the topic and its significance.

Content

For this assignment, write a feature essay about a pop culture trend or phenomenon connecting it
with course themes this semester on gender, class, culture, and media. It is your role as the
writer to help your reader understand what your issue or topic is and what it means. As you begin
researching and writing, consider critically some of the following questions: how did this trend
or idea become so popular? Why is it popular and why do people like/don’t like it? What can we
learn about ourselves or about those who participate in the trend? To get started it might be
useful to look into the history and background of the trend: when/where did it start? Who is
involved? How has this trend or idea changed over time? Does it seem to be having a “fifteen
minutes of fame moment” or do you think it might persist? Why/why not?

The goal of this essay is to make meaning out of this trend or phenomenon. By this I mean that I
do not want a report about a current topic and I don’t want just an explanation of the trend or
idea. Rather, I expect you to think critically and make keen connections and share sharp insights
about what this trend or phenomenon is revealing about the world we live in. In short, help your
reader understand what this trend really means in the grand scheme of things. Why should we
care? What is this showing and why is it important? Dig deep in your research and let it guide
your discoveries. One way to think about your argument is this: “Most of us think [insert your
trend/phenomenon here] is about X, but its really about Y.”

The topic you choose should be of the moment and it should be part of our current conversation.
It doesn’t have to be a huge or serious issue, it could be something small. As long as your issue is
something that interests you, and you are able to make compelling arguments about it, that is all
that matters. Meanwhile, like any good thesis, make sure that your topic is thought-provoking,
specific, arguable, and ambitious, yet manageable and focused.

A note about point of view and tone. As this is a feature essay, your tone may be more informal
and colloquial. You want to hook your reader in, draw them in, and convince them of your
arguments and claims. You want to sound interesting and engaging. However, that being said, as
you still need to offer and maintain a credible and authoritative voice in your essay, otherwise
you risk losing your reader.

When you find an issue you would like to focus on, try asking yourself the following questions
to help get started:

What are the core points and controversies of your issue/topic?
What information will you find as evidence and research about this topic?
What do you need to define or explain to readers so they can understand the topic?
Do your sources agree or disagree about something? Is there something in between?
Given your personal perspective and your analysis of the topic, what do you think?
Why is this topic relevant and important? Why should my readers care?

Requirements and Format

Your essay should be no less than seven pages and no more than nine pages.

It should include all of the required elements and be formatted according to MLA guidelines.
Your essay should be double-spaced, one inch margins, and in a size 12 standard font. Also,
your essay should be thoughtful and well-researched.

Integrate and cite at least TEN credible sources–at least FIVE of which should be scholarly or
academic in nature.

Grading Information

The grading rubric is posted to Blackboard. I suggest that as you work on your essay, you use
this rubric as reference.

Something to consider: Meeting the minimum requirements will earn you a C grade; challenging
yourself, taking risks, opting for the difficult choices, and pushing your thinking lead to higher
grades.