Honoring Student Cultural Capital: Social Media and Popular Culture as Tools for Teaching Theory

Abstract

To a growing student population for whom smartphone and Internet use started in their early childhood, social media and popular culture can be effective tools to mitigate potential anxiety and alienation students may feel when taking a theory course. This paper offers strategies and insight on the endeavor of utilizing both popular and social media cultures to teach social theories. I discuss assignments and activities used to generate student engagement, as well as share examples of successful student submissions that demonstrate application of course materials to their everyday life. Informed by Paulo Freire's (2011 [1968]) pedagogy of “students-as-teachers,” the strategy of asking students to contribute what they know about social media and popular culture helps students be more critical participants in society and communicates to students that instructors value their experiential knowledge.

Keywords:

• Theory
• pedagogy
• social media
• popular culture
• cultural capital

Acknowledgements

I am grateful for the helpful feedback from the editor Dr. Scott Simkins, the anonymous reviewers, and Dr. Marisol Clark-Ibáñez, as well as the assistance of former students Cynthia Gutierrez, Diana Martinez, and Lorena Santiago. I also express thanks to the audience during my presentation of an earlier draft of this paper at the 2017 Pacific Sociological Association Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon. To all of the students in both sections of my Social Theory in 2016, thanks for the community we built while learning about social theory and social media together!