Author Description

Unlike other popular culture readers, Signs of Life in the USA presumes that popular culture merits rigorous analysis and provides a conceptual framework for understanding it: semiotics, a field of critical theory developed specifically for the interpretation of culture and its signs. The selections are arranged in nine provocative chapters (on such topics as gender codes, film, and advertising) that instructors want to teach and that tap into students' own experiences with and interest in popular culture. The uniquely qualified editorial team of a prominent semiotician and an experienced writing instructor have prepared extensive apparatus that merges help with critical thinking and writing instruction for the composition class.