Welcome...and initial guidelines...

This blog will be used in the spring of 2008 by 80+ students at Drexel University to investigate the effects of Iraq on culture and the reverse. Our goal will be to better understand why the US is in Iraq, and to question whether literature can help us on this journey.

Weekly plans and other materials will always be posted in Vista, not this blog. So go to Bb Vista to get the discussion prompts and other instructions.

I intend this blog to manage our discussions and track our collective investigation.

You should have received an email from me inviting you to become a contributor to this blog. The email was sent Monday afternoon to your official Drexel email address.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

TV shows & the war

Many famous T.V shows have begun to weave the war in Iraq into their plots. This year, two episodes of "ER" took place partly in Iraq; in the drama "Las Vegas," one of the main characters was called up to duty. And shows as diverse as "Extreme Makeover" to the irreverent comedy "Arrested Development" to the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" have plotlines based on the war. On a similar note the FX network is taking it a step further, and is currently producing a new hour-long series called "Over There" that will follow a group of soldiers during their tour in Iraq. Clearly the war is effecting our society in ways we never thought it would. As this war progresses American popular culture will begin to reflect more and more the war that is being fought. I wish I could write more about the effects of war on pop culture but I have an essay to write.

No comments: