1)     Are athletes regarded as "less intelligent" or "simpler" than the
       rest of the population in the U.S.? In Finland this used to be the
       case, but when sports became immensely fashionable within all
       layers of society in the 1980's, this view started to change. What
       is the current situation in the U.S.?
   
2)     The soccer World Cup will be staged in the U.S. in the summer of
       this year. How much in your opinion will this event improve the
       very low status that soccer has in the U.S.? Will it increase
       remarkably the number of soccer enthusiasts and players in the
       country, or will the whole thing be forgotten as soon as it is
       over?

3)      How well known or popular is Donald Duck in the U.S.? It seems
       that Mickey Mouse is the most important Disney figure in the U.S..
       Is this true? In Finland Donald Duck is by far the most important
       of the Disney characters. In addition to children, a huge number of
       adults read the Donald Duck comics, and the author of the best
       ones, Carl Barks, is worshipped as a genius. Does Barks/Donald Duck
       have this status in the States?

4)     How well known are the works of science fiction writer Edgar Rice
       Burroughs in the U.S.? In Finland his heroes (Tarzan, John Carter)
       have been long-standing favorites among the SF public and
       adolescents. Are they nearly as popular in the U.S.? Have you
       personally read these books in your youth?

5)     What are the images associated with country music in the U.S.? Is
       it just "redneck music" (as it is here in Finland), or does it have
       a much wider audience? If an urban person with an academic
       background listens to country music, will this be regarded as
       something strange by his colleagues, for example?

=============================
1)     What's the story behind "the Groundhog day" (This year 2nd Feb.)?
       And what's all that about "seeing a shadow"?

2)     How aware is the average American (?) of the popular culture
       phenomena in the U.S. in general?

3)     How aware is the average American of the popular culture phenomena
       in other groups (different racial, economical, geographical etc.)
       other than the one he/she is in or involved w/?

4)     Do you see the potential the soap operas have to break down the
       hypocrisy in the American way of thinking/life?

5)     What are, in your opinion, the biggest problems the U.S. has to
       struggle w/ in the future (apart from the increasing violence and
       drug use among young Americans)?

===============================
1)     We've been discussing about the Marlboro Man.  How much, in
       general, commercial advertising in the USA exploits national icons
       or fetishes, and to what extent it creates ones?

2)     How do the hero-makers and American government cooperate? (I do not
       mean the way they did in former Soviet Union, but, for example, how
       authorities exploit popular culture.)

3)     Why Americans have so many of those "human gods"?  Could it be
       accounted for as a need of mythical heroes of their own?  In other
       words, while British have their King Arthur, French have Jeanne
       D'Arc, and Finns have V{in{m|inen, Americans don't have nothing
       like that. So they "created" Elvis, Marilyn, and JFK.

4)     More about Elvis.  What were the requirements he fulfilled for
       becoming a national hero of Americans?

5)     Is American popular culture a reflection of people's concepts, or
       does it merely modify them? I refer mostly to movies, television
       and other modern forms of popular business. (When we think of
       Finland, the invasion of American culture is, very successfully,
       modifying our thoughts, concepts, and daily habbits.)

=============================

1.     Do you think that the Finnish television (all three channels) give
       a correct/distorted view on the American way of life?  Are the
       programmes too patronizing or 'worshipping' or objective?

2.     What is the basic reason behind the fact that the movie business
       (=Hollywood) is so much stronger in the US that in Europe?
       Escapism of the masses?  State subsidies? Are there still many
       drive-in movie theaters?

3.     The Americans seem to have a thing about big cars.   Why is this?
       Is the concept 'economical' unknown to them?  Is the car the
       ultimate status symbol there?  Is everybody trying to keep up with
       the Joneses?

4.     Where does the saying "everything is big in Texas" originate from?
       What is the story behing the stetson hat? Another status symbol or
       just shelter from the sun?  Can you define a 'redneck'?

=========================
1.     Is the rating system (PG, R and so on) for films in America
       voluntary? Is the rating given separately in each state or just one
       rating for the whole country?
 
2.     Is there a strong division between popular culture "acceptable" to
       upper- or lower class ?

3.     If such division exists, are there forms of popular culture (like
       NFL football) that cross over these boundaries and appeal to
       everybody?

4.     If (when) America is a culture that values cars highly, does a car
       have some value as an icon in its own right or is the cultural
       value attached to it depending upon the make/type of the car? (eg.
       a certain type of people drive a certain type of car)
 
5.     Is the American fascination with handguns traceable to some form of
       cultural icons/ideals? (This is very much question of opinion, but
       Iïd like to have some insight to what makes handguns so immensely
       popular in America, despite the problems they cause.)

============================
1.     I'm wondering the difference between portable and cellular phones.
       Is it so that portable phones are part of a system that is in
       Finland known as NMT or GSM? And cellular phones something like
       wireless phones but instead of having the 'main box' in your own
       house there is one big 'box' that serves all the cellular phones in
       a certain area, for example in a city?

2.     About interpreting tales like Frog Prince and Little Red Hood as
       sex education. Is it just American phenomina or for example sort of
       'anti'catholic phenomina? And how late these interpretations are?

3.     I missed the last weeks lesson so I do not know if you talked about
       stand up comedy. But it's something I consider really American and
       I'd really curious to know more about it.

4.     I don't know this question should be asked on the other course (AE
       40)... but anyway here it comes. What is it that makes Americans,
       as a self-reliant people, rely on these How to Travel Cheap books
       and other traveller's 'bibles'? Because, att least in Europe, if
       you see one carring one of these books you can be pretty sure that
       the guy is American (or sometimes British).

5.     How common are special terms of different sports (mainly football,
       baseball and posible something else -- ice- hockey?) in 'normal'
       spoken English? And are those expressions more popular among
       certain 'classes'?

===============================
1. Talk Shows?
       I know something about Oprah, Jay Leno (Tonight) and Arsenio Hall.
       What other talk shows are there? Who are their hosts? Are they
       entertainment oriented or what? Which have the biggest influence on
       public opinion?

2.     What the symbolic value of Lenny Bruce?

3.     Who is Andy Kaufman? (One R.E.M. song is supposed to be about him,
       so he must be Someone.)

4.     How can figure skating be so popular in the US? I mean Russians
       always win in it, don't they.

5.     I've heard a phrase something like "Katy bar the door" a couple of
       times in a sport commentary. What does it mean?

==============================
1.     Are there any "Indian" or "African" wrestlers in WWF/other leagues?
       If yes, how are they "treated" ?

2.     Is it the actual truth or just folklore that countless young people
       still run to Hollywood literally with only their "talent" and
       dreams of success?

3.     How expensive the tickets for Super Bowl (approximately) are?  How
       about an average wrestling match?

4.     Are comics in US stated as "kids' stuff" as often is the case in
       Finland, or do they have some "real" status as well?

5.     Don't Americans read books besides paperback bestsellers?! Is the
       library organization similar to ours?

===================================
1.     I'd like to know more about the (basic) rules of football. I tried
       to watch Super Bowl on Eurosport, but I didn't quite understand
       what the players were trying to do and why.

2.     Is cheerleading a well-paid job? Professional teams, professional
       cheerleaders, I assume.

3.     What is the historical background of Halloween? Where does the idea
       come from?

4.     Is there some sort of an "importance order" of holidays?
       (Christmas, 4th of July, Thanksgiving etc.)

5.     What's the difference between popular and mass literature?

=====================================
1)     In classes we've been discussing about the Marlboro Man. How much,
       in  general, commercial advertising in the USA exploits national
       icons or  fetishes, and to what extent it creates ones?

2)     How do the hero-makers and American government cooperate? (I do not
       mean the way they did in former Soviet Union, but, for example, how
       authorities exploit popular culture.)

3)     Why Americans have so many of those "human gods"?  Could it be
       accounted for as a need of mythical heroes of their own?  In other
       words,  while British have their King Arthur, French have Jeanne
       D'Arc, and Finns  have V{in{m|inen, Americans don't have nothing
       like that.  So they  "created" Elvis, Marilyn, and JFK.

4)     More about Elvis.  What were the requirements he fulfilled for
       becoming  a national hero of Americans?

5)     Is American popular culture a reflection of or a modifier of
       people's  thoughts and attitudes. I refer mostly to movies,
       television and other  modern forms of popular business. (When we
       think of Finland, the invasion  of American culture is, very
       successfully, modifying our thoughts,  concepts, and daily habits.)

=============================
1.     Have there been similar antisocial cartoons before MTV's Beavis and
       Butt-Head and The Simpsons?

2.     Has WWF Professional Wrestling lost its popularity because of the
       end of the Cold War?

3.     Why hasn't the Stanley Cup final developed to such a huge show as
       the NFL Super Bowl?

4.     Are there such clear stereotypes about different states or regions
       in the U.S. as in Finland, or do they consider themselves all
       Americans?

5.     How common is it in the U.S. to look at the British as "f***ing
       superior"?

==============================
1.     What kind of "protection of privacy" do celebrities have in the
       U.S.?  How easily do they, for example, sue magazines/TV shows for
       invading their privacy?

2.     How much do Americans read?  Do they buy their books or just use
       the library?

3.     Is there such a phenomenon as "naistentanssit" [regular public
       women's choice dances held daily in restaurants] in the United
       States?

4.     Are there any legal restrictions on advertising; for example for
       using children in commercials?

5.     Does the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (or
       its publishers) have anything to do with the magazine American
       Heritage?

=================================
1.     Is the popularity of country music greater in some (geographical)
       areas, or among some races and social groups than others?

2.     Do the Americans prefer American films and series, or are there,
       for example, many European programs on TV?

3.     To what extent are the sexual minorities organized in the U.S.?
       Are they very active and visible?  Have they gained any special
       rights, etc.?

4.     What are the most popular ways of spending holidays in average
       families?  How popular is travelling abroad?

5.     How popular are the human rights movements?  Are they active?

==================================
1.     What kind of connotation does high culture have in people's minds
       in the U.S.?  In comparison to Finland where all the more "serious
       stuff" seems to be more valued and respected?

2.     How big a role do the various ethnic groups and their popular
       cultures play within the larger American popular culture?  Do these
       groups bring in foreign elements that stay, or do they simply
       adapt?  Melting pot or salad bowl or maybe something else already?

3.     To what extent is popular culture taught in schools, or in any
       other way?  Do people realize they live in it, are surrounded by
       it?  For Finns it is easier to notice since all of our popular
       culture (most of it?) is not Finnish originally.  Foreign influence
       is always easier to see.

4.     Is television still a connecting force among the American people
       like it used to be?

5.     Who are/were William F. Buckley and David Susskind?!  (cf An
       Instant Guide to American Regional Types, Liberals)

====================================
1.     Is there any research done around the Internet and its impact in
       America?

2.     Do people still go to movies a lot?  Have television and videos
       taken over the mass audience?  How does TV affect film production?

3.     What is the role of Europe in American entertainment?

4.     I find The Simpsons sometimes almost radical in the way it
       criticizes American culture.  Is it very popular in the U.S.?

5.     Are foreign (translated) books, films, comics and music an "elite
       thing" in the U.S.?

=======================================
1.     What sorts of things are characteristic of popular culture?

2.     How is popular culture being researched?

3.     Why do icons turn to fetishes?

4.     What makes a phenomenon a popular culture phenomenon (from folklore
       to Delta Blues)?

5.     Is popular culture international, or does one have to be embedded
       in the cultural environment in order to understand it?  Why?

======================================
1.     There are more and more women in positions of power, progress is
       slowly being made toward equality, and women's issues have
       attracted a lot of attention in the past few years.  Does this show
       in popular culture?

2.     I remember reading a few years ago a lot about how women athletes
       were unhappy about women's sports getting so little attention in
       the media -- and then getting the "wrong" kind of attention
       (sexist, belittling). Has there been any progress during the past
       few years?

3.     Feminists have always been made fun of all over the Western world.
       How has the image of feminism (as presented in comedy shows, jokes,
       etc.) changed over the years?  Is it different aspects of feminism
       that are made fun of today?

4.     On talk shows you can hear the most bizarre quasi- scientific
       statements ("Women need men because Darwin said so" and so on).  To
       what extent do these shows actually affect people's thinking?  Can
       the average American, if there ever was one, question what s/he
       hears on these shows?

5.     Who watches daytime soap operas in the U.S.?  Just house- wives?

====================================
1.     What are the most popular tv programs in the U.S.?

2.     Have there been any scientific studies of popular culture? Is it
       possible to study popular culture?

3.     How own the big sports teams?  Are they privately owned?

4.     One of the class handouts mentions "city on the hill"; what does
       this mean and where does it come from?

5.     Do newspapers and magazines usually have a comic page? Are comic
       strip figures well known in the U.S.?

====================================
1.     How long have there been urban legends?

2.    Which are the most common urban legends?

3.    Are there the same urban legends in the U.S. and Finland?

4.    Is the significance of sports the same to men and women?

5.     Are the Americans as interested in the Winter Olympics as in the
       Summer Olympics?

======================================
1.     What is the social significance of having or not-having a beard (in
       different situations and groups)?  Is a mustache supposed to be a
       very macho signal?

2.     Could the tendency to form movements and have demonstrations over
       law proceedings and trials be taken as one aspect of popular
       culture?

3.     Visiting rituals in the U.S.  Do visitors have to bring gifts
       (coffee, flowers, ice cream, etc.)?  Do visitors take off their
       shoes? Is it acceptable not to wear shoes when visiting?

4.     What is a Pollyanna reader?  (Someone who only wants to read good
       news?)  Are there more labels like this for a certain kind of
       audience?

======================================
1.     Renny Harlin brought the idea of "Gladiator" shows from the U.S.
       into Finnish TV.  Do you think he -- or somebody else -- might
       succeed in doing the same with professional wrestling shows?  Would
       Finns understand this kind of humor, enjoy and laugh at it, or is
       it related only to U.S. Popular Culture in this special way?

2.     "The show must go on."  Why are such conceptions as "failure" or
       "death" not openly discussed in general?  Why do Americans
       overestimate "efficiency everywhere," "eternal life," a "perfect
       body," etc.?  Are they afraid of their fellow citizens' reactions
       or what?

3.     "The best surprise is no surprise."  Why is this so? Would it not
       be exciting to explore something new, to take risks every now and
       then? McDonalds' hamburgers are also available at home, but
       "Maemmi" [a special type of Finnish Easter-season dessert] cannot
       be found in the U.S.!

4.     "Mobility as such is a good thing."  Do you think Americans will
       ever start to build similar traffic networks as we have in Europe,
       or will they stick to mainly using their own cars?

5.     "It is so wonderful to see you again!"  "That sounds very
       interesting indeed."  Do Americans really mean what they say when
       being polite, or is it just a common habit to "behave oneself"?

=================================
1.     What is the role of religion in modern American society, and how
       does it show, for example, in the everyday life of an average
       American family?

2.     How would you describe the attitude of Americans to Europe and the
       different European cultures?

3.     Is it usual for an American woman to stay at home and take care of
       the house and children?  Is the husband still generally regarded as
       the supporter of the family?

4.    How important is a car for American youth?

===================================
1.     What kind of role do the sub-cultures, for example Indian cultures,
       have in American popular culture?

2.     How does popular culture reflect the differences of social classes,
       reference groups, etc.?

3.     How do Feminism and Feminists show in the popular arts; music,
       literature etc.?

4.     Which core values are used in advertising, and what kind of
       advertising images are "in" nowadays?

5.     How does environmental consciousness influence popular culture in
       America; is recycling fashionable like in Europe?

=====================================
1.     Equality:  The concept of equality between men and women; how is
       the concept of equality of the sexes understood in the U.S. (for
       example compared with Scandinavia, which has the most independent
       women in the world)?

2.     Are there generally differences in the wages of women and men?

3.     Racism:  where is it a problem and where is it not?

4.     What percentage of marriages today are "mixed"?  (Is this a stupid
       question?  Has it even been of interest for researchers, or is
       perhaps the subject too touchy?)

5.     Media:  The influence of the media is strong.  Are children taught
       at scholl about how to "analyze" what they watch?  Is there mass
       communications education in the schools?

======================================
1.     Could you briefly explain the rules of American football?

2.     Joe Namath, the "guaranteed winner", was mentioned in class.  I
       would like to know about other famous people who "stand for
       something", maybe in other fields than sports.

3.     What are the most popular tv-series in the U.S. and what are they
       like?

4.     What are the biggest newspapers in the U.S.?

5.     Are all foreign [TV] programs dubbed or do some of them have texts?

=======================================
1.     How much have the basic ideas of popular culture changed during the
       20th century?

2.     Music has changed remarkably during the past three decades.  Are
       the old (nowadays non-existing) classics -- The Doors, Buddy Holly,
       Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, etc. --
       still revered and looked up to by the great audience?

3.     The significance of sports is great in American culture. Does it
       clearly exceed that of the other elements of popular culture?

4.     Popular culture seems to be much more important in the U.S. than in
       Finland.  Is it because the "masses" are larger in America or is it
       a direct reflection of differences in history?

5.     There seems to be a distinct difference between elite culture and
       popular culture.  Is the difference between elite and popular
       culturalists as obvious, or are the "elite people" included in the
       large masses of popular culture?

===============================
1.     Why is figure skating so popular in the U.S. (according to a
       handout).  I've always known that football and basketball are very
       popular but I had no idea figure skating would rank so high on the
       list.

2.     Are American soap operas as popular in their "home country" as they
       are in many other countries?

3.     How important are nature and environment to Americans?  Do they
       like to go to the country on holidays (like they seem to in films)?
       How "green" have they become?

4.     When an American tells you a joke, what (or who) is it most likely
       to be about?  Is there some particular country and its people that
       Americans like to joke about?

5.     Are Americans very religious in general?  Do they go to church
       regularly?  Are there particular regions or parts of the country
       where relition is more important than in the rest of the country?

================================
1.     How much do Americans read books?  Some authors like Stephen King
       and Sidney Sheldon are hugely popular; what percentile of the
       population can a super-best-seller reach?

2.     Are translated books popular in America, or are they mostly read by
       "elite" people?

3.     After the 1950s Western movies and TV serials lost a big part of
       their remarkable popularity.  Recently they have again risen into
       prominence (Dances With Wolves with Kevin Costner, Young Guns I &
       II with Emilio Estevez and Kiefer Sutherland, Unforgiven with Clint
       Eastwood, plus Young Riders [TV]).  What could have caused this?

4.     Do U.S. theaters show foreign films to any noticeable extent?  Are
       they dubbed or subtitled?  Or are they just re-made like La Femme
       Nikita became "Assassin"?

5.     Today rap music and the clothing style associated with it seems to
       be very "in" among American (and Finnish) young people, both black
       and white.  Has anybody researched this?  I personally find it
       curious: after all, popular hard-core rappers like Ice-T (of "Cop
       Killer" fame) and Dr. Dre do not exactly praise white people or the
       American system.  Two of my best friends are great fans of the
       above-mentioned artists, among others, and I can't avoid hearing
       them occasionally.  They strongly dislike softer rap/hip hop, only
       "gangsta stuff" is proper.

       However, this is not meant as a criticism towards hard-core
       rappers.  I have one album from Ice-T and Ice Cube each, and some
       of their songs offer hard-hitting social commentary.  And maybe
       they could be considered Black English dialect teachers ... :-)
       Certainly I've learned what the sticker "explicit lyrics" on the CD means.