Synopsis on semiotics and text

Justin Bieber

A narrative analysis of a teenage phenomenon and his representation

Introduction:

I have chosen to focus on the American teenage music phenomenon Justin Bieber whose career has exploded within the last two years. From being a 14 year old boy singing to his mother's camera in their living room to being a mega start with so much hype around him that it makes you dizzy.

Media around the world are talking about “Bieber Fever” and I would like to investigate how he uses media (ICT, television and social networks) to promote his music and especially himself.

Furthermore I would like to look into what kind of culture he represents (the American dream), what narrative he wants to tell and if at all possible find out how it affects the young teenagers (especially girls) today and their ideas of a happy life and view on gender roles.

Research question:

The American music phenomenon Justin Bieber – how may we read him? Semiotics, signifiers and signified (signs and what they mean) in his videos. His use of Facebook and Twitter to promote himself.

Teaching session:

My lesson plan for the 20 minutes of teaching culture and semiotics will include

·        showing the music video by Justin Bieber “Baby feat. Ludacris”

·        a pre-teaching activity where the “pupils” will be asked to focus their attention on the representation of gender roles in the video

·        an after viewing activity where we discuss what they have found

·        and finally they will be asked to compare representation of gender roles exposed in the video with representation of gender roles as we know them in the Scandinavian countries

Why is he so big in the English speaking countries and not in the Nordic countries? The cultural differences and expectations to relationships and life.

Theory:

John Fiske and the Madonna articles - to get inspiration.

Gillespie - for the narrative analysis of the phenomenon.

Gauntlett and Longhurst - for representaion of gender in his videos.

Key words / sentences for inspiration:

What culture does he represent?

What is the representation of gender roles in his videos?

Why does he appeal more to the English speaking audience than to the Nordic?

His use of Youtube, Twitter and Facebook

The launch af his first movie ”Never say never” in Europe. Live streaming of the event (U2 were to my knowledge the first to live stream a major event)

It's a traditional homodiegetic (1^st person is telling/singing the story, Lennart Højbjerg, 2000) narrative music video. A performance video where the subject (the star) integrates sound and picture. The viewer will always try to construct some kind of meaning in the narrative told.

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I might twist this essay a bit and write my article about using music videos in teaching text, culture, gender roles and language in the TEFL classroom....unless Lilian tells me otherwise :o))

You might ask....

...why I haven't been blogging for ages? And I might answer because I have had a lot of things on my mind. Really a lot! About the present and about the future in particular.

I finished my practice placement in Humfryskolan in a rather odd way two weeks. All three of us had turned up for the last lesson at the school. Their 8th graders should finish their work on "The Shawshank Redemption". During their second lesson they had been watching 2/3 of the movie and expected to finish the viewing and homework during this final session.
Ulrik set up the projector and prepared for the screening of the film, but when he found out they hadn't done their homework and that they didn't respond to his answers he told them off and left the scene....with the DVD!!
This left Nicolas and I in a situation where we hadn't seen the movie but we had to carry on teaching about it!! Odd situation, but I think we found our way out of the situation. Indeed an interesting situation.

But a situation like that made me rethink my role as a teacher. Do I really want to become a teacher? For sure I want a bachelor in the profession, but do I want to work under the conditions I experienced in my recent placement? At the moment my answer will definitely be no! I expect a lot more from my colleagues, from the pupils, from the school and from the school's management.
At Humfryskolan I missed dynamics, visions and efficiency - and I don't really think that they are much different from the Danish schools. Neither the colleagues, the pupils nor the management. Teaching and learning is so important and so awfully interesting and inspiring that I find it terrifying that pupils and teachers don't take it seriously, and life wise inspiring to absorb and infuse learning. Their passive attitude sucks the energy out of me and drags me to a place I don't want to be. I want to be inspired, I want to absorb new knowledge, I want to reflect and inspire others. I want to develop and find new ways, and I cannot do that if my surroundings are passive.
I need to find the energy I need somewhere else, but I don't yet know where to look.

That is I have an idea....I think my practice placement like work with Salaam in April will help me in the right direction.
The past few weeks I have realized how important music and film is for me in my teaching. How strong an impact these media has in the learning process of young people...and this goes for the older ones too. When I think about my past I very often connect experiences with either a song or a movie clip. Think about it yourself - don't you put music to your inner film?

For my final assignment at Malmö Högskola I have decided to write about an American music phenomenon. I will write about him in a cultural perspective, I will look at semiotics, signifiers and signified, and I will have a look at the huge influence he has on the forming of identity with young people (especially girls) today or right now.
I came across him in search of semiotics / texts which were important for young people today. I looked him up on Youtube.com - Justin Bieber - and was astonished when I found out that his first real video had been viewed 475.120.159 times!!! After this information I simply had to find out why. I had to know what he wants to say and how he says it. With so many viewings and his massive use of the internet and social networks I simply had to find out what I was "up against".
The media around the world are talking about "Bieber Fever" and I just have to find out what virus has started this...

If it becomes a good assignment I might want to twist it a bit and turn it into my article abroad. Something like teaching culture, language, gender roles, forming of identity, comparing to own culture and much more through music videos.
But I'll need to consider that a bit more.....but it could be interesting. I asked my own children if they had ever worked with music videos during English or Danish lessons - they never had.....it made me wonder why, because there are a tremendous number of texts in music videos to be investigated...think I might be able to write a good article about it. I'll post my synopsis on this blog's assignment page.

....to be continued :o))

This is getting ridiculous

....was just told that my 6th grade at Humfryskolan will not be present next Wednesday for the presentation of their posters (however little they have prepared). They are doing something else.
I only had 3 Wednesdays to work with them (at first I had been promised to work with a 7th grade, but that was changed when I arrived for the first lesson).....would have been nice if they had been there....I'm sure it could have been planned.
By now I am pretty dissapointed with my Swedish practice placement....

Can I really learn from this?

Humfryskolan seemed like the perfect school to me. Incorporating media and art in lessons. Having a strong emphasis on using the right part of your brain when learning. Seemed like a place I would seek to my own children..... Now I am really not sure....
In Sweden this kind of school can be run with public funds and they are obliged to take all who applie into the classes - and Humfryskolan has...
The classes are a mix of children. There are pupils with creative skills, who are there because they want to work creativly now and maybe in the future. They are there because they are kinaesthetic learners and need another kind of teaching to absorbe knowledge.
But....also children who need another kind of teaching than what is usually supplied by the national schools are also accepted at Humfryskolan. Children who should attend some kind of special education are also in the classes - and that is a pitty.
The latter are to an extremely wide extend disturbing during classes. At Engelsborgskolen I had 4 pupils with various diagnoses in my 7th grade and it was no problem including them and making the learning environment a nice place to be. But at Humfryskolan it's really a problem - it's really not a nice place to be, neither for the pupils nor for the teacher (in this case me).
I'm in a 6th grade and I was warned by their teacher that they were 24 pupils who didn't like eachother. She had been using the time since they started in August 2010 to work with social interaction in class....and my impression is that she hasn't come far...
The girls are more or less okay, some are more popular than others (but that's how it's always going to be) and some are more eager to learn than others.
But the boys are absolutely rude. They swear, shout sexually abusing words, talk when they want to, leave the room when they want to and they have no respect what so ever for the teachers authority. If I were to have that class as my own (which I luckily am not - ever) I would have to change my style of teaching drastically....and I'm not prepared for that. Teaching should be done in an atmosphere of mutual respect - and no way I will trade that for authoritative teaching. I have the responsibility for the classroom as a nice place to be, and I will not change myself to be the "evil" teacher to gain the respect I belive everyone deserves.
But not only the pupils bears a responsibility here...the school lacks structure, dynamic and engagement. It's too loose for my liking and there is absolutely no structure as regards to teacher students in placement.
Well - can I really blame the children here? Isn't it when there is something wrong with the leader it shows on the floor?
But I only have one day left at Humfryskolan - so.....

Salaam School and Dialogue

correction....Salaam School and Dialogue has been running since 2006....sorry!!

Agreement with Salaam

I had my first meeting with Salaam Film and Dialogue today and it might turn out to be very beneficial for me.
We agreed on me doing teaching material for one or more films, but......they had sought fundraising with Tips & Lotto and if they have that money they would rather I worked with them on coordinating material production with external writers, and work with them on coordination of the Salaam School film-project.
They are just starting this project and they have arrangements with schools in Roskilde in April where I'll be with them.....isn't it great?! It'll give me insight in how we as teachers can be better at using film in education and maybe give me ideas as to how we as international students can be better prepared for using semiotics in film to create a globalised cultural understanding in the classroom.

I'm so excited....April come quickly!! Please....

There might be a change in this

There might be a change in what I want to write my article about.
At our Swedish course we are working a lot on semiotics and youth culture and we are to write and exam essay about an area which interest young people today. I might want to develop that essay into an article for this assignment.

The greatest teacher's challange

Oh GOD! Wednesday I had the greatest challange in my practice placement ever....
I was well prepare to teach a 7th grade about the fantasy genre, and I was looking forward to it, because I had taught a Danish 7th grade the same subject in November last year. It would be fun to compare those to classes - especially from a cultural point of view.
But things change when your're a teacher so you have to be flexible and when I arrived at Humfryskolan I was given a 6th grade with severe social problems to teach instead.
At the introduction meeting I was warned about the 6th grade that they were 24 pupils who didn't like eachother and that their teacher at the moment was working hard to have a decent atmosphere in the classroom. Now I can see what she ment.
80% very nice, sweet and clever pupils and 20% very noisy, giggeling, chatting, autonomous bunch of kids. The 20% took up most 80 % of my time, and a few times I found myself reacting in a way that I didn't really like - afterwards. Damn! But I must find out how I handle the situation next Wednesday. The 80% are working fine with the production of their own fantasy univers and a poster for their presentation, but I'll have to find out how to handle the rest of the children in a way so that they learn something about the fantasy genre. I have an idea - I would like them to produce an advert that will make me go and see the Avatar movie which I haven't seen yet.
Finally - just a remark about the practice placement abroad. I wish I didn't have to do it, not because of the children.....especially the above 6th grade is a welcome challange.....but I would have liked to focus on the Language, Culture and Identity course - it's interesting, relevant and quite challanging. It's a full time course of 40 hours a week, plus the little extra that always comes when you work with an interesting subject.

PS Just a small note that made me happy - after class one of the girls came up to me and said it had been fun......it warmed my heart....and I'll do my very best to make it a nice lesson next Wednesday - aswell :o))