I am interested in research at the intersections of media studies, public policy, social intervention, popular culture, activism, critical theory, art history, etc. Please share any relevant references.
One specific question: The city and residents of Baltimore were central to The Wire's themes and production. Members of various communities became involved with the show as actors, some with no previous acting experience. Did the show's presence have any lasting impact on the city or any particular group of residents?
Try looking into articles published in the Far West Pop Culture Journal or any panels/presentations from the Far West Pop Culture Conference that's held annual here in Las Vegas each February. Panelists (myself included) have written on topics ranging from "The Queering of Sherlock Holmes", "'Dexter' vs. Camus' 'Meursault': Contrasts and Similarities", panels and essays on the relevance or place of pop culture in higher education curriculums and approaches to take when using pop culture as a primary source of critical analysis, "Writing and Performing Stand-Up Comedy vs. Poetry", and even papers dealing with topics like how the fandom that follows "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" (also known as "bronies") reflects the mass culture of fear, uncertainty, and anxiety here in American much the same way shows like "Leave It To Beaver" or "The Andy Griffith Show" were a sort of creative/media reaction to cultural paranoia and fear during the era of McCarthyism and how the popularity of these warm and fuzzy shows has a direct correlation with (and tells us a lot about) the need for Americans to escape the seemingly incessant stream of fear-mongering news media and the steady thrum of anxiety felt by everyone in these frightening times.
There's BOUND to be at least one critical essay from either the conference or the Journal itself that would help you find some peer-reviewed research material on these subjects. If you can't find anything on your own, try contacting a reference librarian at UNLV's Lied Library or Dr. Felicia Campbell in the English Dept. (since she is the one who puts on the conference each year. She'd be an excellent source to draw from and would probably be happy to point you in the direction of some helpful scholarly work or researchers that could help you even if she personally can't. It's the end of the semester though so I wouldn't expect a response for another 2 weeks. Good luck!
Not specifically about the wire, but some folks have done some interesting cultural geography studies. Check out Lynn Spigel. I wrote a paper on women television characters as liminal spaces. I highly recommend you consider the form of distribution and means of consumption as part of your research. What does the fact that the medium is television say about the topic? What is your method?
Stacey Simmons: Thanks for your answer. Would you care to elaborate on the question you responded with: What does the fact that the medium is television say about the topic? It feels like a rhetorical question you may have an answer to. Care to share it?
Sure thing, from a symbolic geography perspective, does the fact that the television is contained in the domestic sphere have an influence on the content? Is it safer to portray women, people of color, or other groups in a more honest way because they are "contained" in the home? Spigel's work asks this question. My own work found that women had much more agency in television programs. But it also showed that when women were shown on those same programs and the setting of the program was in public those women were often covered, or somehow shown in a way as to make them seem non-threatening, even with the characters were spies, witches, or other characters that have agency. So my question is to ask you to consider whether or not the medium of the television has any effect on the portrayal of what you are examining? Where in the program are the scenes set when people have agency, and where are the scenes set when they have interactions with authority? For example, are most interactions with cops and POC in the street? in the home? in the station? What does the fact that this is being sent to the domestic sphere via television tell you about the subtle messaging to the viewer?
Criminology has and as far as I know a university module derived from the research by Simon is being considered for inclusion as part of a Criminology undergraduate course
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